inFAMOUS 5: Silent Beliefs
by WhiteZephyr
Summary: My fifth inFAMOUS fan-fiction. Joan's all grown up, and has found a responsibility outside of crime-fighting. But it seems like that won't last long, as the government is losing support, and is starting to view the Conduits as threats to their power...
1. Prologue

inFAMOUS – 5:

Silent Beliefs

Prologue

I guess you could say that our world isn't exactly normal anymore. Then again, when was it ever? Beyond terrorists, crazy religious folk, and politicians actually trying to make a damn difference (which was _very_ rare), "normal" for us good people seems to be pretty screwed-up.

But for me and my friends, "normal" seemed to be getting your back patted on the street and congratulated on a job well done; on being a Hero. I couldn't even take a damn step outside without being hoarded for autographs!

Luckily, I wasn't as famous as my dad, who constantly had to relocate his home so the crazy stalker girls, who didn't know he was already married and had a kid (or two, if you count myself), wouldn't be able to find them. I really felt for the guy.

Then again, I had a kid of my own. Cutest little thing you'd ever seen! She has my face, hair and eyes, but the resemblance ends there, I guess. She's as stubborn as my husband and I put together, and has my husband's bright personality. It's so weird, surreal even, to say that so naturally… Husband, kid… Where'd the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that I'd been kicking Sasha and Alden's asses with my dad and best friend? Wasn't it just hours ago that I met the most persistent, annoying bastard in the world, and fell for him? Minutes ago that I'd been fighting for my life, against a crazy-ass doppelganger who I'd harboured inside of me?

And people wonder why I'm so pissed all the time. It's not like I've really had much time to sit down and take a breather.

For the most part, I'm like my dad. I have powers, but I only inherited the gene, not his electricity. Believe me when I say that I could've gotten different powers than the ones I have now, seeing as I met alternate versions of myself and they've all had different personalities and powers, with different backgrounds because of the choices that people made. As for the rest, I'm totally my mother. Red hair, green eyes (that were previously silver for a few months), stubborn and violent.

I've had a few adventures before. The past six years've given me a chance to take a break from crime-fighting (something my kid doesn't know about, and will not know about until I think she's ready to hear it), and stay at home with the little troublemaker. After learning that, in an alternate future, I only saw her for a few weeks after she was born, and then returned from a mission-gone-wrong when she was fifteen years old, I was pretty insistent that I be in every minute of her life. She didn't seem to mind much.

It was another usual day. I was playing with my daughter, who was _obsessed_ with Cole and Lucy MacGrath, the two superhumans, and insisted that we play "Hero" with her dolls. I heard the door open, and smiled.

My kid leaped to her feet and ran to the door, where her daddy was already preparing for her hug.

"Hey kiddo!" he greeted, grinning as usual. "Mommy didn't burn the house down today?"

In case you're wondering, he's not making a crack about my powers. He likes to make fun of my cooking skills still, even after I took classes.

She shook her head. "Nope! She made cookies!"

"Oh! That sounds great!" My husband pecked our little girl on the cheek and then passed her into my arms, giving me a chance to kiss him.

"By the way, just because we have a three-year-old kid together doesn't mean I won't string you up," I told him. "How'd the interview go?"

"Same as usual," he said, loosening his tie. "Just some people wondering when I'm going to make a new CD. It's getting harder and harder to meet with the demands these days."

I nodded. "Well, do your best. You always come through in the end." I put her in a chair and placed some spaghetti on the table. It was her favourite. "Are you changing before you join us?"

He shook his head and sat beside me. "I'd rather eat right now." He stared casually at the plate, and then smiled. "So, it's already been, what, six or seven years now, since we first met?"

I smiled. "I think it's seven."

"The first food we ate together," he remarked slyly. "I thought you'd forgotten."

"D'ya think my memory's _that_ bad?" I sighed. "Lance Grey, you have such low confidence in me."

He grinned. "I often wonder if you'll remember me in the morning, actually. You might burn me, Joan. And Kayce will never forgive you."

Kayce looked up from her spaghetti and studied us. "Why would mommy burn you?" she asked.

"God, I keep forgetting that she's got your bluntness," Lance quipped. "Mommy might burn me by staring at the back of my skull constantly. She's pretty good at it."

One of my eyebrows arched. "Or I might toss him into an open flame."

Much to Lance's surprise, Kayce snickered. I guessed that the thought of her father running with his pants on fire around us seemed as amusing to her as it was to me.

Later that night, when we'd put Kayce to bed, Lance and I sighed and rested against the backboard of our bed, exhausted from the day.

"You miss it, don't you?" Lance asked.

"Miss what?"

He smiled. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, I miss it." I unconsciously raised my hand and willed fire into my palm, then stared at the red-orange flames for a time before I deactivated them. "I miss giving bad jokes to people as they're getting beat up and burnt. Cole gets all the fun."

"Well, Trish sure as hell doesn't think so," Lance said. "She hates the attention. Poor kid. You're doing good staying outta that stuff."

I nodded. "Still…"

Lance crawled under the covers. I followed quickly, and then found myself being hugged to his chest. I was still kinda upset at the height he had over me.

"Still, you need to take out a bad guy or two every once-in-a-while." Lance sighed. "If only I could set up something where you could get rid of the paparazzi for me…"

I laughed. "Right. Like that'd work."

Lance kissed me on the forehead. "G'night. See you in the morning," he said.

I smiled. "Yeah. Night."


	2. The Unbidden Rescue

Chapter One:

The Unbidden Rescue

Cole had texted me his new house's location, so I decided to go over for a visit. Lance stayed home with Kayce, but told me to say "Hi" for him.

Lance and I lived in the suburbs of New Marias, whereas Cole and Lucy were living in the middle of the city in an apartment block not far from the cathedral. I only had to knock on their door once before Cole opened it and shoved me inside, then slammed it behind me.

"Trouble already?" I asked, smirking.

Cole sighed. "You don't know the half of it." He'd barely changed over the last seven, eight years that we'd lived in New Marias. If there was anything really different about him, I'd say it would be his shirt colour. Seriously. "How come all neighbours have to be so nosy?"

"Don't even get me started. I gave gardening a try, since Kayce loves the outdoors so much, and I think I butchered my backyard." I rubbed my temples. "Those neighbours said that I'd burn water… Which I did before I took a class."

Cole smiled, and we hugged briefly. "Missed you, Jo."

"Missed you too," I said. "You know, if you were like a proper superhero, you'd wear a mask so you wouldn't have this trouble!"

"Those're comics, not reality." Cole smiled and led me to the couch. "How's Kayce?"

"Your granddaughter?" I asked, smirking.

Cole frowned. "Oh God, just don't get me thinking about all the relations this family has… Lucy's technically your step-mom now…"

I tapped the arm of the couch with my fingers as my thoughts took me away, like they usually did. "Cole, I wanted to talk to you…"

He tilted his head. "What about?"

I sighed. "What am I gonna do about Kayce? She'll have to know soon enough, and she's gonna have powers of her own."

"You told me about that," Cole pointed out. "You went to the future, but we didn't know, because you came back before Kayce ever landed on you from her time. I woulda liked to've known her then."

"You guys'll get along fine, I'm sure." I noticed that my hands were fidgeting together now. "Cole, I just… If she finds out about… _me_, and you and Lucy, I don't know what she'll do. She's a child!" I managed to stop myself from fidgeting. "When I saw her, in the future, she said that she didn't want to be a freak. Every time she looked at me, or the older me, I saw fear in her eyes." I shook my head. "I don't want to scare her! She practically worships you, so I was thinking…"

"You thought I could help out." Cole leaned back in his LazyBoy. "I wish I could, Jo. I really do, but I'm busy. The friggin' paparazzi are everywhere, and if I have any chance of getting Trish into preschool, I have to lie low for a while." He shrugged. "At least New Marias is almost crime-free, huh?"

I nodded, trying to conceal my disappointment. I'd become good at concealing my emotions, except when I was happy, for Kayce's sake. I needed to show her how her mother could be strong.

Cole and I talked for a while longer before I decided to leave. As I went through the door, however, Cole stopped me.

"Joan," he said, "why'd you name your child after your enemy?"

I chuckled. "I wondered that myself, when I met my future self." I smiled. "I understand why now. It's… acceptance. And Kayce can change the taint in that name, so it won't put fear in anyone's heart, but love."

Cole ruffled my hair. "You've definitely grown up, Joan."

"Oh, please. I'm as violent as ever. Just you wait," I told him with a grin, "I'll be back to kicking ass in no time.

It took me about ten minutes to get back home by car, as I wasn't allowed to fly anymore, as told to me by my husband… Damn him, sometimes.

When I finally pulled into our driveway, I stayed inside the car for a few minutes as I thought. _I'll deal with Kayce's powers when the time comes,_ I decided swiftly. _I'd better just enjoy what I have now._

A tap at my window brought me out of my thoughts. Lance was there, so I rolled down the window.

"Yeah?" I said.

Lance smiled. "Hey, I just got a call from the studio. They want an emergency practice. Think you can take Kayce to her playdate?"

I nodded. "Sure. Dairen's house again?"

"Yep. I swear, these kids'll be best friends when they grow up," Lance said. "She has to be there at around three."

I looked at the clock. It was 2:49pm.

"Is she ready?" I asked him.

Lance nodded. "Yeah. She's just tying her shoes."

I smiled. "Man, I couldn't tie my shoes until I was, like, fourteen."

"Hey, she gets her brains from my side," Lance quipped, grinning like an idiot.

"At least she doesn't get your ego." I laughed at Lance's pretend hurt face and then heard Kayce get into the car. "Well, I gotta go then."

Lance pecked me on the cheek. "See you at home, babe."

"You too," I replied as I rolled up the window.  
>I pulled out of the driveway and looked at Kayce through the rear-view mirror. She had her backpack, and she'd done her hair into a braid. My kid knew how to do hair, and I had no idea where she got it from.<p>

_Probably from one of her grandmothers,_ I decided. _It better not be from Lance though._

I saw a traffic jam up ahead and mentally cursed promising Lance that I wouldn't use my powers (though he wasn't the one who made me promise it). I sighed and waited, trying to calm my mind from the honking horns and angered shouts from annoying people.

"Mommy, are we there yet?" Kayce asked.

I smiled back at her. "Soon, honey. Got your toys?"

She nodded with a smile. "Yep! Dairen said he wanted to see my Lucy doll!"

_She's gonna die if she ever meets Lucy and Cole,_ I thought absently. _Fan-girl to the extreme. Just wait until she hears that Cole's her grandpa…_

"That's nice. I think I'll have something to drink with Dairen's mom, okay?"

Kayce nodded again and then stared out the window, but soon she had unbuckled her seatbelt and stuck her face against the windshield.

"Kayce! Get to the back and put your seatbelt on!" I exclaimed.

"Look! Mommy!" Kayce pointed to the cars ahead of us. I squinted so I'd be able to look farther and—holy crap—I saw cars being flipped ahead of us.

And whatever was flipping them was barrelling towards us.

I unbuckled myself and grabbed Kayce as quickly as I could, but it was already too late to get out.

"Hold onto me!" I ordered her.

She wrapped her arms around my neck tightly, and then we were sent flying through the air. I angled my body so I'd take the blows as we were tossed around in the car, until we finally landed around ten metres away from where our car was originally. I still had Kayce in my arms, and I crawled out of the broken body of the car as best I could, still getting glass in my arm despite my caution.

I sat us both on the sidewalk and started to pull the glass from my arm when that thing came back and totalled our car again. I sighed.

"Never a dull moment in New Marias," I muttered as the car flew past us.

Kayce watched the giant monster, and then looked to me. "Mommy, Cole's coming, right?"

I looked at my watch. "He should've been here by now…"

Suddenly, I heard the unmistakeable sound of sniper shots. The monster got clipped and bled, and then looked to the direction where the shots were fired. A man in a cream trenchcoat, hood up and a smoking sniper rifle in his black, fingerless-gloved hands was standing on one of the totalled cars. I shook my head as I recognized him instantly.

"Who the hell're you?" the giant monster exclaimed (which I also recognized to be a man in a rather large suit, or something).

"I should ask _you_ that question," the man said as he slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder. "You're disturbing the peace of New Marias. You know how hard that was to get?"

The monster-man roared and charged at the man. He easily flipped over the giant and smashed the monster's face into the road.

"It took a few years, dude. Go terrorize somewhere else." He touched the giant's head, and suddenly he was swallowed up by shadows. The man brought his hood down and smiled. "Have a nice fall," he said, as the monster appeared above him and fell into the road, unconscious.

Kayce pointed at him, her look in utter awe. "Is he another superhero, mommy?"

I nodded. "Yep. His name's Alec Chance."

At the sound of his name, Alec looked over to me. His stubble had been tamed, it seemed. Probably because of Dana. He suddenly grinned and walked over to us, his arms spread wide.

"Jo! Nice to see ya!" he greeted.

I got up and hugged him tightly. "Back from Italy again, are we?"

He let me go and nodded. "Yep. Dana and Violet're actually heading to your place right now. Vi wanted to meet her cousin!" Alec rubbed his chin. "Well, meet _again_, but they probably don't remember each other…"

I felt Kayce tug on my shirt. I smiled and picked her up. "You remember Kayce, right?"

Alec seemed to be looking at his memories instead of my kid. "Don't tell me she's alive again! After what that—!"

I flicked his head. "My _daughter_, Alec. My daughter _Kayce_."

It looked like a flip had been switched in his head. "Oh! Right!" He held out a hand to Kayce. "Hello there, Kayce. I'm Alec, but you can call me 'Uncle'."

"Uncle?" Kayce repeated as she tenderly took Alec's hand. "Are you related to us?"

Alec's eyes lit up in surprise as he felt Kayce's iron grip and her strange understanding of things. "Kinda," he said with a grin as he squeezed her hand a bit tighter. "I'm married to your mommy's sister."

Kayce thought for a moment, but she remembered Dana well. Everyone on my side of the family had gotten along really well with Kayce, and she remembered them, even if she was young.

"Auntie Dana!" Kayce exclaimed. "I remember!"

Alec smiled. "She'll be happy to hear that. Where're you guys headed off to?"

"Well, we _were_ heading to a playdate when that thing came and totalled our car," I explained, pointing to the unconscious body of the giant.

"I could try to fix it," Alec suggested readily.

I pointed to the junk heap that was barely recognizable as our car. "I don't think you can. I was a mechanic once, remember? I _know_ that thing's lost."

Alec nodded. "Sorry 'bout that," he said. "Well, we'll walk to your place then."

I nodded. "Sounds like the best decision." I was happy that Alec remembered that I wouldn't use my powers in front of Kayce.

I put Kayce down and she held my hand as we walked with Alec, asking him all kinds of questions. Mostly about his powers, and the gigantic gun on his back. At one point, I flicked Alec in the forehead for almost mentioning my nodachi (which, by the way, I had made Zeke get rid of all the quicksilver inside of it, so I wouldn't be blind again).

All in all, it seemed that, if I stayed on the sidelines or not, someone or something would always find me.


	3. Family Reunion

Chapter Two:

Family Reunion

Dana and I got along really well these days. Gabby was the one who'd brought us together, making us realize our responsibility as older sisters. Call it a respect for each other.

Violet looked just like Dana, but with Alec's crooked smile and shaggy hair. In case you're wondering how in the hell Dana and Alec got together… well, I guess he was the first of any of us who made her _really_ laugh.

My mom was also there, with Gabby. She'd already been introduced to Cole, and so that l'il awkward phase had passed by now. Joanna appeared just like me, but with a few lines on her face that noted her age. I didn't point them out though; I didn't feel like dying, healing factor or not. Gabby was fourteen now, and definitely looked like a high school freshman. I kinda envied her how she had gone to school, but I'd gone for about a year and a half of high school, plus collage, so I couldn't really complain. She had brown hair, her freckles were disappearing, and her green eyes were lined with mascara (and I still don't wear make-up, despite her pleading and bribes).

"Family reunion much?" I said as we walked through the door, just getting off my phone with Dairen's mother (cancelling the playdate).

My mother smiled as I came in with her granddaughter. Helen was there too, and the two mothers were close, despite only knowing each other for a few short years. Kayce really could bring people together.

"We were going to surprise you," Helen said, smiling. "Lance wanted us to come for your birthday."

"My birthday…?" I remembered and smiled. "Right. It's still a week until I turn twenty-five, though. Aren't you a bit early?"

Joanna—my mother—shook her head. "We thought we'd stay. Lance has made the arrangements. You picked a good son-in-law for me."

I rolled my eyes as the two grandmothers hugged Kayce and gave her kisses, followed by her two aunts.

Alec clapped me on the shoulder. "Yo, Joan, can I talk to ya outside for a sec?"

I nodded. "Sure."

We went out into the backyard and listened to the kids in the playground about half a kilometre from the house before Alec spoke again.

"Cole and I have… noticed things," he said. "Conduits are getting powers without a trigger, and some who have the gene disappear for a few weeks, only to reappear and have powers. I did some digging…"

I crossed my arms and tapped a finger expectantly. "Yeah?"

"They all work for the government. They do private contracts like me, sometimes. Mine, however, don't consist of killing other people with the gene."

My brow furrowed. "I visited Cole today. Why didn't he mention this before?"

"He told me not to worry you," Alec admitted. "But I'd rather you be worried than left out of the loop. Kayce, Violet and Trish all have the Conduit gene, so I suggest you keep a close eye on your daughter, as I will mine."

"A government conspiracy?" I smirked. "Y'know, I always thought that the world would be better without crazy old guys sitting on a throne of leather, bossing us around. But I know there're some good ones out there, so I'll check and see who should be made allies, and who would be the most probable enemies. But that's all I'm gonna do, since I have to stay here and watch Kayce. I won't break my promise because you 'notice things'."

Alec nodded. "Have it your way. We'll appreciate any help you can offer."

Kayce, as if on cue, ran outside and hugged my leg, so I decided to give her a piggyback. She loved those. I saw Lance doing it once, and I had wondered why he would put someone on his back if they weren't hurt. But after I tried it with Kayce, it seemed to fit and it was so natural. In case you haven't noticed, Kessler wasn't exactly one to give piggybacks. It'd ruin his image and his reputation.

I was visiting with everyone in the living room before I started to notice a black car continuously driving past the house, slowing its speed just enough to see what was going on. I got Alec's attention and motioned outside, just before the car passed again. He nodded and walked into the hall of the house, where he blended into the shadows and into the car. Whatever happened in there, I'd never know.

The side of the house suddenly blew open, and we were all hurled towards the wall, but it was Dana who was the only one who actually hit it. A man stood opposite us, in the wreckage of the side of the house. He was wearing a black trenchcoat, black jeans and shirt, and a white star on his chest.

He put two fingers to his ear. "Conduits located," he said into a transmitter. "Prepare for extraction."

"Who're you?" Dana exclaimed.

"That's not important," he told her as he approached Violet, Kayce and I. "You've all been compromised. Conduits are to relinquish their powers to the United States Government, or be arrested."

He reached for Violet and Kayce, but I grabbed his wrist before he could make a move. "Ever hear of a door, dude?"

"Release me," he snarled.

"US Government, huh?" I smirked. "Well, I pay taxes like anyone else. Too. Damn. Bad."

He tried to get out of my grasp, but was surprised at my strength, seeing as his face betrayed his emotions. "Release me, Conduit. I have the authority to arrest you."

I studied his face for a moment. "Wait… I know you! I went to collage with you!"

He didn't seem to recognize me. "Last chance."

The realization made me let go of his wrist. "You've… You've been brainwashed?"

"Target is resisting," he said into his earpiece (I remembered his name being Connor). "I'm engaging now."

Kayce stepped in front of me and spread her arms wide. "Don't hurt mommy!"

Connor tried to grab Kayce, but I had her before he could so much as blink. "Touch her and die," I threatened. "No one screws with my family."

I heard a _thump_ and saw Cole and Lucy. "Reconsider your position," Cole said, "since you're outnumbered."

Connor stared at Cole, but didn't falter. He held out a hand and sent a burst of telekinetic energy at Cole and Lucy, throwing them away. Then he tried to use his powers to pry Kayce out of my arms and take Violet, but neither I nor Dana let our daughters get away.

I brought my leg up and kicked Connor in the jaw, then passed Kayce to Helen.

"Get out!" I ordered them. "Now! I'll hold 'im off!"

As they ran, I heard the frantic cries of "Mommy!" behind me. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.

"Sorry baby," I muttered as Connor rubbed his jaw. "This is for you."

Connor got into a Martial Arts basic position and stared me down. "You will be terminated for your resistance."

I smiled. "Some government. Don't I get a lawyer?"

Connor attacked, his fists reaching a speed I was familiar with, which made my adrenaline burn immediately. I blocked a fist to my face and swung my leg around his arm, my foot slamming into the side of his face. I didn't stop, as I jumped into the air and connected my foot with first his stomach, then chest, and lastly his groin, each hit taking about half a second. What, you thought that I'd forget how to fight in six years of having a kid?

Connor threw a punch at me, but as I blocked it I saw his foot come up. It hit my chin and tossed me upwards, but I used the momentum to flip and slam both my feet into his face, smashing him into the ground. Whatever pain I felt, it was nothing compared to what he was feeling.

I felt arms grab me from under my armpits and their hands lock above my head, making my arms completely useless. I tucked my legs close to my body and lashed out, hitting my new assailant in the stomach and forcing them to release me. Connor got up, and his two new friends were already circling me. I smiled as they attacked. I blocked his friend's punch, and the other's kick, then used their momentum to force them to strike each other, and then smashed Connor's face with my elbow. They continued to attack, until another explosion caught us off-guard and dazed us all as we lay on the ground. I forced myself to my feet and saw that they were already climbing into a helicopter, escaping from me, but the chopper turned around and hovered in the air for a moment before it released one last missile.

Without thinking, I activated my fire and felt the familiar "V" take its place on my back and gathered my fire into my palms. I tossed a fireball at the missile, blowing it up well before it reached the rest of our house. I deactivated my flames as quickly as I could, seeing as Lucy and Cole were coming in.

"Jo! You okay?" Cole asked.

I nodded, knowing that the two explosions had made me look like a bloody mess. "What took ya so long? You were just pushed away!"

"Two people ambushed us outside, and we were busy fighting doppelgangers as they ran inside to help that character who pushed us out. Sorry," Lucy said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I didn't answer as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Helen, holding Kayce, was examining my wounds. My healing factor didn't kick-in like it used to. Probably because it was out of practice. I'd have to be a suicidal maniac again to get it to work like it used to.

"Friggin' government didn't even give me a lawyer…" I joked, trying to put some light on the situation.

It seemed to work.


	4. Curiosity Killed the Cat

Chapter Three:

Curiosity Killed the Cat

"I don't like coincidences," I told Cole and Alec. "I don't like it when things just 'happen' either. If the government's gonna try and take my kid away from me, I have to help."

Cole shook his head. "Hell no. Kayce's your responsibility, and leaving her without you is like just giving her over."

"Lance'll be here. He's just as qualified as me." I tapped my foot. "Why're they doing this to Conduits…?"

"I dunno, but somehow they can see who has the gene too," Alec said. "You said you went to collage with that guy. Connor, right? Well, if he was brainwashed, it's totally possible that they put implants in his eyes to look for DNA resemblance in Conduits."

I nodded. "That makes sense. But why the star on his chest?"

"It looks flashy?" Alec offered.

"Or maybe it's a diversion and there's a tiny hidden camera in the star." Cole let the electricity jump across his hands. "Maybe so they can remember the faces of Conduits who get away. The two other men with Connor had similar stars."

"Well, if that isn't a beacon for 'US Government', I don't know what is." I started to pace. "What the hell could they want from Conduits? We've done nothing wrong. We've protected normal people without having to be asked. This just… It makes no sense!"

Cole nodded. "We'll definitely need to do some digging. Thankfully, Zeke's already on it. I'll let you know if anything happens."

I sighed as I watched Cole go. We weren't as close as we used to be, mainly because I gave up the life he was leading so I could be there for Kayce, and avoid the future that I'd previously visited.

Alec clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, Jo. Just get back to Kayce. I'm gonna find a place that Dana and Vi can hide out. Chillax."

I smiled. "Okay, Alec. I'll see you in a bit."

"Oh, and about you're wall…" Alec grinned. "I'll come back tomorrow and take care of it."

"Thanks."

Alec studied my face for a second. "What's up? It looks like something's keeping your mind from here."

I shook my head. "Don't worry. It's nothing."

"If you say so." Alec shrugged and headed out.

I sat on a lawn chair with my head in my hands as thoughts came and attacked me again. All I could think about was Kayce, and how I'd probably screwed up the future by replacing it with this one. My younger self, probably when I'd still lived in Empire City, would yell at me and tell me that Kayce wouldn't mind if I used my powers. But I could already imagine my reply. Kayce was three, and so I didn't want to scare her. She didn't even see me fight with Connor!

I groaned and let my head fall back to watch the clouds. I could just imagine what the neighbours were thinking, too… _None of their damn business,_ I thought automatically. _God… It used to be that the heaviest thing on my mind was a powerful villain. Now it's the neighbours…_

I felt a small hand take my own. I tried my best to smile for Kayce. "Hey, hon. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Mommy, are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Fit as a fiddle."

Kayce frowned. "Why'd they come after us? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, baby. You did nothing wrong." I let her sit on my lap and just held her there. I had to admit; when I found out I was pregnant, I hadn't been more scared in my entire life. Now, it just seemed that it was another one of my crazy adventures. "Don't worry about it."

My mom and Helen stayed over to help me clean up. We did a lot before Lance came back and bluntly asked if the neighbours asked if they could buy my Ducati again. We decided it'd be best if we stayed in a hotel that night.

As I tucked Kayce into bed, Lance came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, then rested his head on top of mine to look at our daughter.

"If you need to go," he said, "then I can watch over her."

I shook my head. "Cole will tell me if I'm needed. I'm not going to aimlessly run into a fight where I can get killed. I want to be in Kayce's life, not like when Garyn was around."

"Yeah, but you held that guy off for fifteen years to protect Kayce."

"And that was fifteen years that I'd never get back. In that timeline, I never saw my daughter grow up, never got to hold her or tuck her in, or tell her that I loved her."

"Well, thank God you fixed that." Lance kissed the top of my head and then crawled into bed. "Jo, don't beat yourself up for something that isn't your fault. We'll get through this; we always do."

I smirked. "I hate it when you're rational."

The next day, I got a phone call. Alec and Cole had pinpointed Connor's location, and were going after him. Even though I offered to help, they turned me down. Stupid male pride.

So I stayed in the hotel room with Kayce while Lance was working from his laptop, checking his lyrics and his notes. Strangely, Kayce really loved to sing, so that was another thing she'd inherited from her dad. But I wasn't about to shove her into show business just because of who her dad was; I wanted her to live free, not hounded and pressured.

"Mommy," Kayce said, "do you and Cole know each other?"

I arched an eyebrow. "What gave you that idea?"

"You were talking about him with daddy last night…" She smiled guiltily.

"Eavesdropping, were you?" I sighed. "It's… complicated. I'll explain it to you later, okay kiddo?"

Kayce considered this for a moment before she nodded. "Okay…"

I smiled and ruffled her hair. "Kayce, you'll understand one day. Just do something for me."

Kayce tilted her head. "What?"

"If you're ever afraid, I want you to take deep breaths, and remember that mommy's going to be there for you, no matter what. Keep that thought in your head; I won't ever let you down if you do."

"Okay." She smiled and hugged me quickly before she went back to playing with her action figures. I stood up and checked my phone for messages. "And mommy, I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too, Kay."

I checked my phone and found a phone message from both Alec and Cole. I checked Cole's first, since it'd come first.

_"Joan, I'm not sure if you'll get this, since the reception's bad here,"_ the message started, _"but I need to let you know. They're brainwashing every Conduit they can find. Alec's been hacking through their files, but I'm not sure how much time we've got left. I'll get Alec to send you the files and the info. We'll see you soon."_

The message ended. I frowned and looked to see if I'd gotten any e-mails from Alec, but there were none. I shrugged and decided to check the message from Alec.

As the message started, I heard a door slam and some people yelling. Ragged breathing was coming from the other end, with a few quiet and inaudible words, but I recognized Alec and Cole's voices.

_"Hey, Jo, I'm not one-hundred percent sure that you're gonna get this,"_ Alec whispered hoarsely into the phone. _"Still, I might as well warn you. I can't get the files to you. I just got blocked, and we've been tracked. Connor's here with a few of our star-spangled friends, but they're definitely gonna catch us. We'll try our best to get outta here. I'll use the shadows with Cole. If ya feel like helping now, we're in—."_

I heard something slam, and suddenly the guys were yelling and I could hear Cole's electricity jumping from his fingertips. The fight went on for about a minute before the sounds stopped. I looked at the screen and saw, "Message ended" on it.

I covered my mouth as my jaw dropped in disbelief. Alec and Cole worked so well together; for them to not be able to send information to me, or get out of a fight that long meant that they were in some deep shit.

Lance noticed my look. "Jo, what's wrong?"

I quickly handed him the phone. "Plug this into your computer. Trace where the last call came from."

One of his eyebrows rose, but he listened. After a few tense minutes, a location jumped onto the screen.

"Laredo, Texas," Lance read. "The centre of Mexican drug trafficking. Why would Connor be there…?"

I shrugged. "Look, Lance… The guys're in trouble."

"And you want to go help 'em." Lance smiled. "I got it. You go. I'll let Lucy and Dana know about the situation, and I'll watch Kayce. Just try to come back in one piece, okay? I mean, it's been a few years…"

"Only three," I reminded him. "After a lifetime of fighting, I don't think it's gonna leave after three years."

I noticed that Kayce was looking at us curiously. I walked over to her and kissed her on the head.

"Kayce, mommy's gonna be gone for a while," I told her. "Listen to daddy while I'm gone, and be nice to your cousin. Wash your hands before each meal, take a bath before bed—don't forget to wash your hair—and get to bed on time."

Kayce nodded. "Where're you going?"

"Somewhere so unexciting that you'd die of boredom," I answered swiftly, so she wouldn't think about trying to use her "tricks" to convince me to bring her along. In all honesty, I thought Laredo was going to be pretty fun. "I'll be back soon. If I hear you've misbehaved, then I'm taking your Cole and Lucy action figures away."

Kayce hugged the two action figures to her chest. "I'll be good!"

I smiled and ruffled her hair. "That's my girl!"

In all honesty, it took me about ten minutes to get ready to go. I had to drive back to the house, grab my messengerbag, my nodachi, and change into fresh clothes for the trip. That done, I ran to the edge of New Marias, and that's where I activated my fire to fly.

"Laredo, here I come," I said.


	5. Highly Explosive

Chapter Four:

Highly Explosive

I skidded to a halt on the outskirts of Laredo, Texas, and took my time to walk into the town. It was dark out by now, but there was still the odd person in a cowboy hat walking around. The bar, of course, was lively.

I followed the coordinates that Lance had put into my phone and found a run-down shack that no one'd notice. Seen, but unseen, as the saying went. I took out my nodachi and slowly entered the shack. There was no light, and I wasn't willing to let my fire guide me, so I trusted my gut.

Thank God for that.

I raised my nodachi just in time to block a strike to my head, and then lashed out with my leg and struck a body. One more person attacked me, their weapon strangely familiar, but I used my speed to get around them and thrust my pommel into their face. I couldn't see a damn thing!

And so I didn't notice the first character as his weapon slammed into my head. I struggled for a moment on my feet before my vision became normal again, and the room stopped spinning.

"Still not down," the second person said in a semi-raspy voice.

The first person punched me in the gut before I could react. I stubbornly held my ground and glared at them.

"Then kill 'er," the first one said. "She won't be useful if she's this stubborn."

"Fine. But Command isn't gonna like it."

"Screw them. Just get it done."

The second person seemed to be glaring at the first. "I'm not under your orders. Don't forget that."

While they were arguing, I brought my nodachi around and struck at them. The second person got his weapon up just in time to block, but the first wasn't so lucky. My nodachi skimmed his arm as he jumped away, drawing blood. He clapped his hand around the wound and grunted in pain.

"Dammit! Just get 'er!" he cried to his friend.

"You're too dangerous to let live, Conduit," the second told me as he pointed his weapon at me. "It's time you were terminated."

I smirked. "Terminated? Like the movie? How 'bout we just let it slide for today?"

He tilted his head. "… Huh…?"

"I'll leave you guys with, 'I'll be back'." I smiled as he ran at me.

It seemed that he was familiar with the weapon he was using, yet unfamiliar. Like he knew how to use it, but his body wasn't reacting to his commands. It was easy to overpower him like that. Soon, I'd gotten his weapon out of his hands, and it smashed into the wall. Now I knew where I'd seen it before.

"The… AMP…?" I looked at the men I was facing. It didn't take long for me to put two-and-two together. "C-Cole…? Alec…?"

Lightning jumped up his arms and illuminated the shack. It was Cole, but he was wearing that weird black clothing with the white star on his chest. The same went for Alec, but both somehow looked more… sinister.

"Well, now you're gonna tell me who gave you that get-up. It really doesn't suit you guys…"

Alec came at me, swinging his sniper rifle at me while Cole shot bolts of lightning from his hands. I dodged and ducked, but one of Cole's bolts hit me square in the chest. I back-flipped and slid my nodachi back into its scabbard on my back, then let my fire come out.

"Bring it!" I roared. My flames, at least, would make it hard for Alec to find a shadow to use. "C'mon! I haven't fought in three years! Let's see how outta shape you guys are!"

Alec was the first to attack. He brought up his sniper rifle and shot at me. I just barely got out of the way, and managed to block Cole's incoming fists. I had to watch Alec from the corner of my eye while Cole shot lightning at me and tried to distract me. I rolled forwards and smashed my fist right into Cole's face, using a bit of my fire to send him flying backwards. Alec shot at me again, so I side-stepped and punched through his sniper rifle, my fist smashing into his chest. I twirled, and used my momentum to kick Cole in the gut, catapulting him into Alec.

I suddenly heard a helicopter overhead. The boys jumped to their feet and looked at each other, as if they knew they were in trouble. The door suddenly smashed open, and I had to leap out of the way so I wouldn't get hit by it. Connor and his two friends walked into the shack. They cast a glance at me, and then turned to Alec and Cole.

"We have them," Connor told them. "All three, and a few Human prisoners. Get the fourth alive."

I jumped to my feet and activated my fire. Cole glared at me. "But the fourth is so… aggressive. She's a fighter."

"Then I'll help you with your mission, Twelve." Connor turned to me. "Conduit, stand down. We do not have to shed blood this day."

"Who do you have?" I snapped. "_Who_?"

Connor frowned. "None of your business. I'll say it again; _stand_ _down_."

I shot a fireball at him, which was blocked by one of his friends. The man smiled. "That all you got, girl?"

"I'm just getting started," I told him, and shot another, much more powerful fireball at him. He blasted backwards into his friend, Connor having gotten out of the way. "I demand that you let Alec and Cole go!"

Connor looked at my two friends. "Do you know this girl, Twelve? Eleven?"

They shook their heads. "Never seen 'er before," Alec said.

"Then you won't mind what I do to her." Connor, in the blink of an eye, was behind me, and slammed his fists over my head.

I stumbled forward, and was caught by his two pals. I upped my flames and roared, burning them and increasing the heat in the shack. I noticed that it'd started on fire, and so I added to it quickly.

"She's gonna kill us!" one of Connor's friends exclaimed.

"Three! Five! I want you to get Eleven and Twelve out of here!" Connor ordered his friends.

"But sir—!" Three tried to say.

"None of that! Now!"

As they escaped, I faced Connor, my eyes narrowing in anger. "Connor, who'd you take? Who was it?"

He rolled up his sleeves. "Prepare to lose, Conduit."

I attacked him, my fists furiously trying to get an opening. When I finally found one, I took it. I punched the side of his face just as his own fist buried itself in my guts. I couldn't help but cough out blood as we both found ourselves on the ground. The air around us was getting tighter. I knew I was a lit match, but even matches need air.

Connor knew he was running out of time as well. "Conduit, why are you fighting us? We're trying to help!"

"You're taking innocent people! Cole and Alec are my friends! I'm not going to forgive this!" I stood up shakily, and took the largest breath I could. "I'm going to fight! I'll find out what's going on!"

Connor stood up. "You are ignorant."

"And you're an asshole!" I shot back.

I suddenly heard a high-pitched whistling. I ducked just in time as a missile exploded through the shack. But even ducking didn't help me. Connor and I were thrown outside into a lagoon as the shack burned. The difference between us was that Connor had been expecting it, and was already on the rope ladder of the helicopter. I gritted my teeth as they chattered, my entire body soaking and wet, and too weak to chase after them. I pounded a fist into the water in fury, and then managed to climb out of the lagoon, after scaring away a few crocodiles first.

I panted and stared at the smoky sky, trying to piece together anything I could. Beside me, I felt the hot metal of Cole's AMP. I grasped it and slid it onto my back with my nodachi.

_As soon as I get Cole back to normal, I'll give this back to him,_ I decided. _And I _will_ get Cole back to normal._

I flexed my hands and stood up, then activated my flames quickly to dry off. I decided to find a hotel to stay in, since I figured Laredo was my best bet for finding anything that Alec and Cole had found. They'd probably stashed some documents away…

I texted Lance to let him know what had happened, and then told him about my plans to stay in Laredo. I knew he'd understand. Whatever the fight was going to give me, it was going to be in Texas.


	6. Conduits and Cartels

Chapter Five:

Conduits and Cartels

The next day, after the firefighters and police had left, I returned to the shack to see if Cole and Alec had left anything there that I'd be able to find. They'd probably try to put it someplace fireproof, as they are handing information to the infamous walking lighter.

If I were still eighteen, I would've been freaking out, unsure of what to do. I'd be swearing and beating anything I could get my hands on, but that was six, seven years ago. I knew I was turning twenty-five, and now I had a kid. I needed to act like an adult, and so I calmed myself and searched quietly.

The pieces in my head were jumping around, trying to find their place. Alec and Cole were brainwashed, and were now called "Eleven" and "Twelve", respectively. Connor… I didn't know what number he was, but his friends were "Three" and "Five".

In-between the time of Alec's last phone call to me and the time I was fighting them, they were beat-up, brainwashed, and forced into very bad clothing. That meant that whoever they now worked for, they did what they did _fast_.

I opened one of the floorboards and smiled. "Bingo," I whispered. I picked up a safe (a fireproof safe, might I add) and put it on the floor. There was only a padlock guarding its secrets. "I knew they wouldn't leave me with a stupid code I'd have to figure out…" I sliced the padlock with my nodachi and opened up the safe. Inside was a single, blue file folder, containing several interesting documents about l'il old Laredo.

I tucked the file under my arm and replaced the safe into the floor, then put the floorboard back and hurried out of the shack. There was no telling if the police or a cartel would show up, especially since I didn't know Laredo very—.

"Well, lookie here!" someone said from behind me. "A thief, trespassin' on our land!"

I rolled my eyes. _Speak of the damn devil…_

"Last I checked, this land was burnt to the ground and up for grabs. These kind of places sell easy."

I heard laughter behind me. "Aw, man! The girl's a damn clown! Makin' stupid jokes and tryin' t' get outta trouble!"

I turned around and faced seven men, most wearing bandanas and cowboy hats, while the rest bore scars on their faces.

"Well, I'm leaving now, so you can have it. I'm not interested in the property," I told them. "No one needs to get in trouble today."

They laughed again. "What's that y'got under there?" one asked, pointing to the file under my arm.

"Work," I told them (semi-honestly). "Boring stuff. It doesn't matter if you drop out or graduate from high school, it seems. Everything after that's boring."

One of them, the rare one without a bandana, grinned. "Hey, guys, I call dibs."

"This'un looks dangerous, Eddie," a man with a hat and bandana whispered. "Maybe it'd be best t' leave this'un alone."

"It sounds like a good idea," I told them. "I'm not really in the mood for a fight, and I've had a bad few days. If you just turn around and forget I even exist, then we can all get past this day quicker."

Eddie grinned again. "How 'bout we letcha go if you can knock me out?" he said. "Betcha couldn't do it, girl."

I arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Really," Eddie repeated. "Here; I won't even move. One nice hit in the face. I ya knock me out, we'll leave ya alone."

One of his friends laughed. "That's damn cruel, Eddie! Ya know that it's harder to knock you out than it is a bull!"

I smiled. "Great! A challenge!"

Eddie stepped forward and pointed to the side of his head. "Right 'ere, sweetheart," he told me.

I flexed my fist for a second and smiled. "Don't bite your tongue."

He smiled back at me, just as my fist came around and socked him in the head. He flew a couple of metres before he landed hard on the ground and slowed to a stop, unmoving.

"You lose," I said to his unmoving form. I then waved to the rest of the cartel and said, "I'll be going now."

They stared at me in disbelief as I walked away, smiling until I got into my hotel room. Unfortunately, they'd followed me home. I frowned at them as I opened the door and looked back at them.

"What?" I asked. "You have your damn shack."

"How the hell'd you do that?" one of them demanded.

I looked at the crowd of six. "Um… where's your friend?"

The quickly looked amongst themselves. "Darryl, I told ya t' get 'im!"

"I thought ya told Dane!" Darryl exclaimed.

"I told _you_, ya dipshit!"

I rolled my eyes as they argued for a bit and tossed the file inside my hotel room. "Look, guys, you're disturbing the guests here. You wanna know how I knocked him out? I'm stronger than I look, and that's that."

"Eddie was our top gun!" Dane exclaimed.

"Good for him. Give him congratulations for me." I started to close the door when one of the men lodged a gun in the doorway.

"Are you one of 'em freaks?" the man demanded.

I mentally facepalmed. _Oh great… After beating the crap out of the Militia, I'm right back to where I started…_

"What gave you that idea?" I asked. "Stop waving that thing in front of my face! If that Eddie guy was your best, then how much are you gonna improve by using a damn gun?"

He looked at his gun, and wisely lowered it.

"I'm asking your guys nicely to leave. I have stuff to do." I shut the door and went straight to the file, where I placed it on the bed and started to flip through it. "What did you guys want me to find…?" I asked, as if Alec and Cole would hear me.

I checked through the pictures and documents in the file. The man in the pictures had thinning black hair and a hard, expressionless face, and was wearing an expensive suit. I couldn't help but think that I'd seen him before, but I couldn't make any connections. I moved on to some documents that had records of all known Conduits, and some more with the Conduit gene. I frowned as I saw the names of many people in my family (namely Cole, Alec, Violet, Kayce and myself), and came upon Connor's.

"Something's wrong…" I muttered absently.

I flipped through the pages again and re-read the file, but I couldn't shake the feeling I had. Something was definitely off about the file.

I heard a knock at the door a few hours later and opened it. No one was there.

I peeked my head out. "Hello?" When there was no answer, I tried again. "_Hello_?"

I waited a few more minutes before I shut the door and sighed, taking a long gulp of my hot chocolate.

"Probably just some kids randomly knocking on stranger's doors," I decided. "Stupid kids… They've got no respect for people older than them these days…"

I heard a whistling sound too late, and felt something sink into my neck. I dropped my hot chocolate as my hand flew up to my neck, and latched onto a dart. It wasn't long before I started to feel extremely dizzy, and had to fight to keep my eyes open. I felt another impact, this time in my leg. I dropped down and looked at the roof, where Alec was holding a tube for blowdarts.

"A-Alec…?" My eyes started closing. "Why…?"

I hit the floor, and delved into darkness.


	7. Party Crasher

Chapter Six:

Party-Crasher

_**Joan**_

"I swear to God, Alec, I'm gonna rip your lungs out of your eye sockets for that!" I yelled at him.

Cole arched an eyebrow. "Isn't that physically impossible?"

"Why don't we give it a try?" I grinned. "C'mon, Cole! Lemme go already!"

Cole ignored me. "Well, Eleven? Happy now?"

"That bitch broke my sniper rifle!" Alec cried. "I won't be happy 'til she's dead!"

"At least your love for that stupid sniper rifle hasn't changed…" I muttered.

Alec glared at me. "Stop talking like you know me, Conduit!"

"I think I liked you better stupid," I continued. "At least you didn't tie me to a table and poke me full o' needles when you were stupid."

"Shut-up!" Alec held a combat knife up to my throat. "Say one more thing, and I'll slice your neck from ear to ear!"

I smiled. "Will you, Alec? Must feel great to take advantage of a person when they're tied down. Makes you feel strong, right?"

Before Alec could draw the blade across my throat, Cole grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Remember what Two said? We need her alive!"

"This bitch is annoying!" Alec exclaimed. "Why her? Why not one of those kids?"

_Kids? _My eyes widened in horror, something that Cole and Alec noticed.

Alec grinned. "Didn't you know, Conduit? As soon as we had confirmation that you left New Marias, we took those two Conduit brats, those two old ladies, that stupid woman, and that idiot man!"

I tried to hide my anger by smirking at them. "Oh yeah? Well, that 'stupid woman' happens to be your wife, Alec, and my half-sister." I looked at Cole. "I guess Lucy got away with Gabby. Soon as you get home, your wife is gonna friggin' _murder_ you. Death by waterguns, right?"

Our lovely "conversation" was held for the next few minutes, allowing me to take in where I was. It smelt like hospital, and looked like crap, so it was obviously a secret lab… with bloodstains. Seriously, I hadn't seen that many bloodstains on the roof, floor and walls since Cole and I had explored the former First Sons base in Empire City, where I learned that Kessler was my dad and Dana was my half-sister. Oh, the memories…

And I was strapped to a table. They'd poked me full of needles that had this strange green stuff in it that prohibited me from using my powers. You'd think that they'd be better hosts…

The door suddenly opened and Connor walked in, his eyes set and grave. As usual, I guess.

"Our guest is comfortable?" he asked.

"About as comfortable as I can be in a strange place where people don't like Conduits, but somehow have them fighting for them," I answered.

Everyone ignored me. "She is," Cole told Connor. "What news?"

"The rest of the Conduits and potentials have gone into hiding," Connor said. "But that's fine; we only need this one."

"Sorry, I'm married. And since you kinda owe me for finishing your English paper the one time, I suggest you let me go." I narrowed my eyes. "And everyone here, or I swear to God I'll beat you to death with your own skull!"

A few men in white labcoats walked in and started to grab all sorts of interesting tools. I use the word, "interesting" very loosely, by the way.

Connor smiled slightly. "Get it done. We want her ready by the time the sun rises."

One of the men nodded, and so Connor, Alec and Cole left the room.

"Hit me with your best shot," I muttered so that the men in white would hear me.

One seemed to smile from under his mask. "I think I'm going to enjoy this," he said.

_**Lance**_

__My head was still hurting from getting knocked out… again. It had been my fifth attempt to get us outta the stupid underground base, but nothing was working. I groaned in pain and watched as Cole, Alec and that Connor guy walked past the cells they'd put us in. I didn't understand why Cole and Alec were working with those guys now, but I was gonna find out!

I felt a tiny hand on mine, and looked down to see my daughter. Kayce was rubbing her puffy red eyes as she held my hand. I could tell she was scared, but she was trying to hide it, like her mother did all the time.

"Daddy," she whispered, "I wanna go home."

I picked her up and held her in my arms. "I know, Kay. I know. Just hold on a little longer, okay? Daddy's gonna get us outta here."

I was forming a plan in my mind as we sat in the corner of the cell when I heard the screams. Full of pain and agony, and only one room over from our cell; the one that Connor, Cole and Alec had previously left only a few minutes ago. The terrifying thing was that I knew who was screaming.

And so did Kayce.

Her eyes widened in horror, and then she started to cry. "Mommy!" she yelled. "Mommy!"

It was taking all I had not to yell for my wife, but I knew I had to keep quiet. I needed to be strong for Kayce, so that we both wouldn't melt in sadness. Kayce finally stopped screaming, and I held her even closer. What were they doing to Joan?

I heard voices coming from the room. A voice I didn't recognize, followed by Joan's.

"Had enough yet?" a man asked.

I heard my wife trying to hide the pain in her voice. "I'm just getting started, you son of a bitch."

I heard laughter, and then screaming again. Connor, a few agonizing hours later, strode by our cell and opened it. He looked to his two friends, who I'd learned were called "Three" and "Five".

"Take the girl," he ordered them.

Kayce held onto me just as tight as I was holding onto her. "You're not taking my daughter!" I yelled.

The two men looked at each other and laughed, then took another step forward. However, they halted in their tracks as a voice rang through the cell.

"I'll take this," a man in an expensive suit, with black, thinning hair and a hard, experienced face said. "We still have some personal issues to work out, don't we Lance?"

I couldn't believe my eyes. I was staring at a ghost.

_**Joan**_

__Sweat was falling from my forehead as the pain reached an unbearable level. I was a fighter, but I couldn't fight against something that I couldn't physically hurt.

"I think that's good for now," said a voice from the door.

The doctors backed-off as he came in, flanked by Connor, Three and Five. I glared at the man in the expensive suit, but my eyes quickly widened when I saw who Connor was carrying.

"K-Kayce…" I muttered.

The man in the suit smiled. "Oh, you know her?"

"She's my _daughter_!" I growled. "How _dare_ you?"

"I'm giving you a choice, Mrs. Grey," the man said as he pressed his fingers together. "Submit to me, or let your daughter take over."

My eyes widened. "You bastard! She's a kid!"

"All the better to deceive my opponents with," he said. "You see, I'm planning to run for Presidency. With the upcoming election, I need allies, and I have more enemies than usual. I figure that getting most of the Conduits in the world can convince the regular people that I'm the right choice."

"So _that's_ why you brainwashed them!"

He smiled. "I was in the army a few years ago. Being in a different country showed me just how ruthless everything was. So, when I returned to the United States, I made a name for myself and became the Senator of Texas." He took Kayce from Connor's arms. "I was nearly killed by a roadside bomb, and everyone believed I was dead, despite the fact that they never found my body."

The story, somehow, seemed familiar to me. The Senator held Kayce out to me. She looked terrified, but if it was because of the Senator or because of how much pain I looked like I was in, I couldn't tell.

"I was there thirteen years ago," the Senator continued. "I was there beside Kessler before I left for the war. I watched you grow, and that's why I knew you had to be my lucky number Thirteen. You were a masterpiece."

"You were a First Son?" I asked, my eyes locking with Kayce's.

"I was," he said. "And now, your choice, Joan. Are you going to submit, or am I going to have to force Kayce to do it?"

I didn't hesitate. "I will! Just… don't hurt Kayce."

The Senator smiled. "I knew you'd see reason." He handed Kayce back to Connor, and he left the room with his friends. The Senator grabbed my face and studied me. "Hm… I always thought that Lance would find a woman to put him in his place. That boy always needed a good hit or two every once-in-a-while."

I glared at him and managed to get my face out of his grip. "How do you know Lance?" I demanded.

"I don't just _know_ Lance," he said to me. "I'm his father, and you're my daughter-in-law." The Senator, Kyle Grey, smiled. "The world works in many strange ways, does it not?"


	8. Identity Crisis

Chapter Seven:

Identity Crisis

_**Lance**_

__"There's not much we can do now," Dana said as she sat across from me. "It'd take a damn tank to get outta this place. Or a Conduit. But since my husband, Cole, and my stupid half-sister are currently against us, I don't see how we're getting any help from 'em."

I sighed and tapped my fingers against the ground. "Well, we still have Vi and Kayce…"

"Yeah, and they're just gonna miraculously get their powers, right?" Dana snorted. "I don't see how. Cole's and Alec's powers were activated by the Blast. Joan's were dormant, but there, and when the Blast happened they were not only awakened, but amplified."

"She doesn't talk much about it…" I muttered. "Not exactly the best time for her, I understand. I leave it be."

For about the tenth time that day, I watched my wife walk past our cell. She looked exactly the same; save for no emotions showing on her face. It didn't matter if she was happy or sad, Joan always had an emotion on her face, despite how much she tried to hide it. In her eyes, when she looked at any of us, there was no recognition, no pity, no superiority. Just nothing. As usual, she had her nodachi slung across her back. And what she was wearing… I was sure that, if Joan acted as she once had, she'd kill whoever suggested she wear _that_. She was wearing black, but it was leather, and I knew Joan hated leather with a passion, ever since her original leather jacket nearly cost her Kayce's life as she was in the womb. Leather pants, boots, and jacket, but there was a black tank-top underneath. On the back of the jacket, at the base of her neck, was a white star. I admit, I kinda took the chance to watch her as she walked away…

"I have to say; I've never hated her as much as I do now," Dana muttered, then looked at me and slapped me upside the head. "Are you checking her out right now?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Hey, cut me some slack! I never get to see her like that!"

"What, like a zombie?" Dana snapped.

I frowned. "Okay, I get your point. But it's been an entire week since she's been like that, and Kayce won't tell us a damn thing!"

"It's because she's upset, Lance," Helen said. This was the first time she'd spoken in a few days. "Traumatized from seeing her mother being tortured. What child would want to talk about _that_?"

We were all silent as my mother's words sunk in. What the hell did they do to my wife? And how was I gonna get her back?

"We've gotta figure something out," I said. "We need to get outta here, and bring Alec, Cole and Joan with us."

"That may not be possible," Joanna murmured.

"I don't care!" I frowned. "They're family. They've never given up on me, and I sure as hell won't give up on them!"

_**Joan**_

__"Thirteen," Senator Kyle Grey greeted.

I nodded. "Senator."

He smiled. "Hanging around the cells again?"

"That's the only place I can get away from those idiots you call your subordinates," I replied. "I don't need surveillance, Senator."

"I just wanted to check-up on you," he said with a shrug. "See how you were feeling."

"Fine," I lied casually. "Just fine." _As fine as you can get when you wake up with no memory… It somehow feels like Déjà vu._

The Senator grinned. "Have you captured the Conduits I sent you out to get?"

"Some of them didn't make it…" My mind wandered to the Conduits who'd resisted, and who I was forced to cut down with the giant blade on my back. "But I got the majority of them."

"And not a speck of blood on you." The Senator looked me over; something I felt uncomfortable with. "You're turning into my finest, Thirteen. Don't disappoint me, and you'll stay alive."

"Life is not something I am worried about, Senator," I told him. "I have nothing important to fill it with."

Without him dismissing me, I left his office and headed for the mess hall. Before I reached it, I saw Two leaning against the wall across from the cells. I joined him by watching the prisoners for a while.

"Good orientation?" he asked.

I nodded. "Fine."

"That's all you ever say."

"It's all I have to say." I looked at him. "Can I ask why we have prisoners here? If they were Conduits, they'd be in the special cells."

"They're Human. Or, at least, most of them are." Two pointed to the only man in the cell. "That guy's Human, but he was harbouring Conduits. Everyone in there, all the adults, anyway, are Human. Those two kids sleeping in the corner? Conduits."

"How do we know?" I asked.

Two arched an eyebrow at me. "We scouted them before you came to us. Their powers are dormant, but a trigger can activate them." He started out the door. "Coming to the mess?"

"I'm going to wait here a bit longer. Study them," I told him. "Don't wait up."

Two nodded and left. I sat down on a bench across from the cell and stared inside. All the prisoners were asleep, probably from exhaustion. I tapped a finger against my chin, my gaze moving to the children. _Kids… Grown-ups I can understand, but kids…?_

Tentatively, I opened the door to the cell with the key I'd been issued and snuck in. I crouched when I reached the kids. One looked a lot like Eleven, with his tan skin and whatnot. The other one, about the same age, looked a lot like _me_.

_Coincidence,_ I thought automatically. I stared at her for a while yet, but when she stirred in her sleep I left the cell, locking the door behind me.

"Mommy…" I heard the girl whisper in her sleep. "Mommy…"

I shook my head and left the cells, wondering where that kid's mom could be. I crossed my arms and paced in the hallway, my mind catching onto something and then releasing it suddenly. I couldn't remember anything before waking up on that table, feeling like I just went through Hell. Again, Déjà vu.

I went to the mess finally and sat alone, eating some spaghetti. I didn't know why, but I was particularly fond of spaghetti. After I finished, I went to the drink machine and saw that they only served coffee.

Twelve, a man with a voice that sounded like he'd been shouting repeatedly and his throat hurt from it, stepped in front of me and got a coffee.

"You don't like coffee?" he asked as he took a sip.

I shook my head. "I don't think so."

He looked at his coffee and offered it to me. "Try it."

I took it and had a quick sip, then handed it back to him. "I don't like it," I stated quickly.

He arched an eyebrow. "Well, they've got coffee or hot chocolate."

I suddenly lurched at the machine and pressed a button for hot chocolate. When I had the cup in my hands, Twelve chuckled.

"What's so funny?" I asked him.

"As soon as I said 'hot chocolate', you threw yourself at the machine." He grinned. "What brought on _that_ reaction?"

I shrugged and took a sip of the chocolaty drink. "I dunno. Maybe… It could be something I remember. Before this, I mean," I told him, gesturing around the base.

Twelve rubbed his temples. "I think I kinda get it." He took a sip from his coffee and looked me dead in the eye. "What do you remember?"

"Nothing," I answered honestly. "Every time I try, my head feels like it's going to explode."

He nodded. "Well, I hope it gets better."

Twelve walked away. _Well-wishing from _that_ guy?_ _Something's going on,_ I thought. _Maybe… Is it possible that he remembers something?_

_**Lance**_

__Something shook me awake. Groggily, I peeled my eyes open and looked. Alec and Cole were there, shaking me and everyone else awake. I scrambled to my feet and raised my fists. _What do they want? They're not taking anyone outta here!_

Cole smiled at me. "Lance, try not to look so hostile," he whispered. "We're good."

My brow furrowed. "You guys…"

Alec smiled too. "How's my favourite brother-in-law?"

"You mean that you're not brainwashed anymore?" I exclaimed.

Cole put a finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet. "Thanks to Joan, though she doesn't know it. We've been brainwashed for a while now, so our minds aren't damaged now that we're out of it. Joan probably has a few more days before we can safely help her, but we can help everyone else."

I nodded in understanding. "How?"

"It doesn't matter how warped her brain is; Joan hates coffee, and loves hot chocolate." Alec smiled. "At least, that's what Cole told me. After he was in the mess with her, he hit his head against the wall repeatedly. Strangely, he got his memory back, then he hit me over the head with a goddamn frying pan." Alec glared at Cole. "Thanks a lot, buddy."

"Anytime." We waited patiently as Alec hugged Violet and Dana, apologizing to them for his bad behaviour. Joanna, my mother, Cole and I waited patiently.

Kayce, however, walked right up to Cole and tugged on his shirt sleeve. "Where's my mommy?" she asked.

Cole smiled and patted her on the head. "In due time, we're gonna save your mommy. You just have to wait a while longer, since we want to escape with everyone. That means you guys have to stay in the cell for a while longer. Can you do it?"

Kayce didn't hesitate, nodding furiously.

I took Alec and Cole to the side when they announced that they had to go, before someone discovered them in the cells.

"I have to tell you guys something," I said to them. "My dad's been under a fake name for a few years now, but he's the guy you're working—or pretending to work—for. Kyle Grey, and he's the Senator of Texas. I just wanted to tell you that if the situation arises and you can't arrest him alive…"

"You don't like this guy, do you?" Alec asked.

I nodded. "Joan isn't the only one with daddy issues, I guess."

Alec bit his lip. "I'll do what I can. No promises, bro."


	9. A Tiny Encounter

Chapter Eight:

A Tiny Encounter

_**Joan**_

Eleven and Twelve had been acting oddly. It was almost like they'd gotten… friendlier. I started to watch them constantly, marking their movements. It seemed strange, but… I _knew_ how they moved already. My eyes could see that path they were taking.

The Senator called me into his office a day after I had something to drink with Twelve in the mess. He grinned and showed me a book, or, more accurately, a tome.

"What's this?" I asked.

He pointed excitedly to the cover. "This is the key, Thirteen. This is how I will become President, and, eventually, the ruler of the world!"

There was something about that last line that almost made me laugh, but I didn't even crack a smile. I felt something witty come to my mind, but I shoved it down, unsure of how the Senator would react to such a comment.

I studied the tome. "It looks… Egyptian. Very old, and, from what I see, recently uncovered."

"Your eyes do not deceive you, Thirteen." The Senator opened the book. "This is, in fact, Egyptian. It's hieroglyphs entail a grand legend; one that goes in our favour."

"How so?" I asked.

Running a hand down one of the ancient pages, the Senator smiled. "You know of the Egyptian Gods, Thirteen? It seems they weren't Gods at all, but Conduits. The Egyptian people worshipped them, and they donned the masks that they are famous for to this day. Anubis, the jackal; Horus, the hawk… This book explains to me the powers they wielded."

"Are you sure it isn't made up?"

"My dear girl… This book was written by their hand, in Ancient times. Long before the Roman Empire. They detailed that they were each immortal, adding onto their powers, and that the Humans that were disloyal to their rule sealed them away. That part was added at the end, as the Conduit Gods could not write it. With those Gods on my side…" The Senator grinned, his eyes, for a moment, becoming wild. "They will be indebted to me for helping them escape, and I shall have more of your kind on my side!"

I felt like rolling my eyes. "So, in order to get the Presidency of the United States, you want to go to Egypt?"

"We leave immediately," the Senator announced. "We're bringing Two, Three, Five, Eleven, Twelve, and the prisoners along with us."

I nodded. "Understood. I'll let them know."

_**Lance**_

__"Egypt?" I exclaimed in surprise. "What the hell?"

"That's what we heard," Alec told me as he leaned against the bars, facing away from us. "We're leaving at first light tomorrow. Better get your sun-tan lotion."

I was about to snap at him when the doors opened. I went back to Kayce and held her close, my frown apparent on my face.

"Well, if it ain't Thirteen?" Alec said. "Fancy meetin' you here. I heard that you come here often, and I was hopin' to catch you."

"The Senator wants you," Joan said in a totally uninterested voice. "Don't keep him waiting, Eleven."

"I wanted to talk first." Alec shuffled for a minute. "See, I was wondering if you could clue me in on what you and the Senator talk about all the time. You keep a lot of secrets, Thirteen."

"It's none of your business."

Alec shrugged and crossed his arms. "Y'know, don't you think it's strange? We're hunting Conduits, and yet, each one of us is a Conduit. I think we're being used, Thirteen."

I heard a _thud_ and looked over my shoulder. Alec was pressed up against the wall, Joan's hand right beside his face and slightly melting the wall… somehow.

"Keep your comments to yourself, Eleven," she said quietly. "Or I'll ensure that you will only see light, until your retinas burn and destroy your eyesight, and you will always be in your precious world of darkness."

She left then, barely glancing at anything other than the door. Alec looked at the wall beside him and wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead.

"Am I ever glad that she wasn't evil in the first place," he said to me. "Then her 'alter-ego' would've been the last thing we worried about."

_**Joan**_

__A few hours after my run-in with Eleven, I was sitting on a gigantic plane with the Senator, already in the air and heading to Egypt. I had walked by the spot where Eleven and I had had our exchange of words and wondered briefly why the wall had melted. That didn't seem to matter though; for some reason, I was excited, but it wasn't showing. The thought of being in a warm desert seemed to lift my spirits.

When we landed, I was studying the sand and the people with an interest that I hadn't believed existed. The prisoners were subtly escorted to an awaiting train that would take us to Giza, where we would meet the man that the Senator had hired to translate to book further.

The train ride made me feel sick, but I kept it inside like most of my feelings. I ended up wandering the train in the end, unable to sit for a moment longer. I followed my feet all the way to the car in the back, where two of our guards were laughing and hitting something.

"Freak! Let's see you squirm!" one of the guards yelled.

"N-No!" a young child's voice screamed. "Mommy! Daddy! Help!"

My hand moved on its own as I drew the nodachi on my back. I rested the blade on one of their shoulders.

"Step away," I ordered firmly. "Step away or die."

The guards raised their hands and took a few tentative steps back. "Just havin' some fun, is all," one of them muttered.

"Screw off," I spat.

The guards ran out of the car. I slid the nodachi back into the sheath on my back and looked at the kid. It was the one that I'd seen a few days ago; the one that looked strangely like me. She was crying and hiding her eyes in fear.

I ignored it and picked her up, my arms moving into a comfortable position that felt natural.

"I wanna go home…" she whispered.

My hand automatically started to pat her head, but I had nothing to say. I was unsure of what I could say to such a small child.

I brought her back to the prisoners' car and left her near the sleeping man with black hair and soul patch. She quickly wrapped her arms around him and started to cry. The man stirred, but by then I was already gone. It wasn't until a few days later, once we'd gotten to Giza and were translating the rest of the book, that I went back into the prisoner's car.

"You're spending an awful lot of time here," I told Twelve.

He shrugged. "There's no law against it. And I've seen you come here a few times as well, Thirteen."

I stared him down for a while before he left, because he didn't like me or he was just bored, I didn't know. When I looked back at the cells, the man with black hair and a soul patch on his lip was leaning against the bars closest to me, smiling.

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine?" he said.

I barely moved a muscle. "What do you want, prisoner?"

"Just to look." He tilted his head a tiny bit. Strangely, I almost _expected_ him to. "You still have no idea who I am, do you?"

I curiously moved closer to the bars. "What do you mean?"

He smiled. "Don't worry about it; you'll know soon enough."

I backed away from the bars and left, deciding to ignore the man. _He's just trying to play with your head,_ I told myself. _Just trying to get you to fail… Fail what? What could I possibly fail?_


	10. The Gates of the Underworld

Chapter Nine:

The Gates of the Underworld

Try as I might, I could not escape the man in the cell. We were camping in the desert, not far from Giza, when I was told I needed to guard him while the rest of the prisoners were moved around.

I tried to get a fire started when night fell, as the desert became unbearably cold, but couldn't seem to hit the flint just right to get a spark. The man looked at me strangely, and then smiled at me, almost mockingly.

"Why don't you do it the old-fashioned way?" he asked.

I struck the flint again. "This _is_ the old-fashioned way."

"I mean the way you always started fires."

I glanced at him. "You don't even know me. Don't pretend."

He smirked. "I know you better than myself."

"Prove it."

He tapped a finger on his chin, and then snapped his fingers decisively. "Got it! You love hot chocolate!"

"Everyone knows that," I said drearily. "Try again."

He smiled at me. "I know that you have a birthmark on your left hip that's shaped like a flower."

I raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "You could have seen that at any time my shirt wasn't totally going over my pants. Last chance."

"Whenever you're thinking, you bite your lower lip and constantly tap your thigh with your fingers. You love Japanese food, hate cold weather, can't stand reading in loud places, and your favourite movie is _Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back_."

I ignored him. "What was this, 'old-fashioned way' you spoke of?"

Tentatively, he got up and sat beside me, then took my wrist and made my hand face palm-up.

"You used to say that it felt like you were letting all of your feelings out, without making it too dramatic." He grinned. "But it was easy to tell if you were angry, hiding it or not." He grabbed the sleeve of my jacket. "May I?"

I didn't know why, but I nodded. He took my jacket off and then took my wrist again.

"What you want to do is try to express how you feel, and focus that into your hand," he told me.

I shook my head. "I don't know how I feel."

"I'll help with that."

"How the hell _could_ you? I just don't—." Suddenly, the man pressed his lips against mine. My eyes, wide at first in surprise, closed and relaxed. His hand slowly snaked up my neck and held my head in place, as my own hands moved automatically to his face and pulled him even closer. There was something about him; his smell, his movements, his deep blue eyes—something made me want to be near him at all times. I felt him start to move, and before I knew it we were both lying on the sand, enjoying ourselves too much to come up for air.

And then I felt it. In my hand, the warm sensation had started to spread and travel down my shoulder blades until they met at the small of my back. As he pulled away for a quick breath, it felt duller, but as he came close again it brightened.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he pulled away and smiled. "Told ya," he said. "Looks like you _can_ feel emotions still."

I stared up at him, and then focused on my hand. Fire curled around my fingers from my palm, and extended up my arm. My other arm mirrored the flames exactly.

I studied them, almost in disbelief. "How did you…?"

I heard a sound behind me, and before I even knew it I was reacting. My nodachi was in my hand, and sliced the weapon from the person behind me. The frying pan flew from Twelve's hand and landed in the sand, cut in half with one side melting.

"What's the meaning of this?" I snapped.

He held up his hands. "Just checking your reactions, Thirteen."

I glared at him, the flames on my body rising higher. "If you _were_ checking my reactions, you would have used the weapon on your back, not a friggin' _frying_ _pan_!"

Twelve was staring at me in disbelief. "Are… you _angry_?"

"Of course I am!" I sliced the nodachi again, and Twelve jumped back. "How could I _not_ be? You could've knocked me out!"

We fought for a few minutes, my shouting carrying over the camp. When I finally calmed down, the fire was gone, but the place where I'd originally wanted to start a fire had one going. Twelve left my camp, taking the prisoner with him.

The next day, I ignored everyone as we went to the next location; the Sphinx, which wasn't far away. We were looking for a secret passage inside of it, leading to some sort of gate.

"Thirteen!" the Senator exclaimed as he called for me. "Come here!"

I approached him and saw some of the hieroglyphics that were recently uncovered. It had the same pictures as the book.

"We're close!" he said excitedly. "Keep an eye out!"

I nodded and searched. My eyes scanned the ancient pictures, but I was immediately attracted to a few that had a warrior wielding a strange blade (strange to the Egyptians, at least) and fighting another warrior. From the looks of it, the second one was more skilled than the first. Then the sword glowed, and seven others stood behind the first warrior. It ended with the defeat of the second warrior, and the death of both. I moved on to the next picture, only to find it incomplete. I touched the pictures and tried to imagine what happened all those years ago, but I couldn't picture it.

"I found it!" someone yelled. "I found it!"

Everyone rushed to the screaming man, who was pointing excitedly to a wall that'd just opened up. Beyond was a dark hall that had torches on the walls, but they'd obviously been snuffed for a few thousand years.

The Senator grinned. "Let's go! No time to waste!"

We headed further into the Sphinx, our group wasting no time with being cautious. I had a bad feeling, but I wasn't going to voice it. If the time came that we had to confront that feeling, we'd confront it.

Unfortunately, the word "feeling" made me think of last night, with the prisoner. Without meaning to, I looked up at him, as he was in front of me, and stared at his back. He was familiar, and he claimed to have known me… but I didn't know him. What if he was telling the truth?

He winked at me. I felt my face go about as red as the Egyptian sun and quickly looked away from him, pretending to examine the barren walls. Was the Senator sure he wasn't a Conduit? He seemed to have something over me that made me act strangely. Even so…

We entered a chamber that actually had the torches lit. At the other end of the chamber was a gate about ten feet tall, with strange hieroglyphics covering it.

The prisoners were about to take a step forward when I heard a whistling sound. I lunged forward and drew my nodachi, swinging it in a wide arc. I hit something, and as I replaced my nodachi I realized it was an arrow.

Eleven crouched to the ground and examined it. "It's trap time," he said. "Keep close everyone. Thirteen, you take point."

I nodded and moved ahead of the prisoners, the Senator falling behind them. I carefully looked around for any holes that could be used for arrows, or any stones on the ground that would trigger a trap. I stepped forward until we reached the gates without another incident.

Or so it'd seemed.

Two of the workers started to scream at the top of their lungs as the ground fell from underneath their feet. But it was three people who started to fall.

"KAYCE!" the male prisoner screamed.

I was already leaping into the hole after them. My nodachi in hand, I grabbed the little prisoner girl's shirt and yanked her up into my arms as I stabbed my nodachi into the wall. We slowed to a stop, and heard an ugly crunching sound as the two workers stopped screaming. The girl was sobbing out of terror.

"Hold onto me," I told her.

She managed to stop the tears enough to listen, and latched her arms around my neck. I started to climb, using any handholds or footholds I could, with the help of my nodachi, of course.

We reached the top in record time. I heaved us out of the hole and laid on the ground, my arms feeling like lead. The man quickly came over and scooped Kayce into his arms, holding her tightly.

I guess that the Senator had just gone forward and opened the gigantic gates. He looked back, and the big grin on his face disappeared.

"You saved… the _girl_?" he cried as he marched over to me.

I shakily got to my feet. "She was the only one I could reach."

"Bullshit!" The Senator pointed to the hole. "We lost workers! You should've grabbed _them_!"

The man handed Kayce to one of the women—the woman looked strangely like Kayce and me—and took a threatening step forward. Three and Five had his arms before he could get too close to the Senator.

"You bastard! She's your grandchild!" he bellowed. "She's my daughter!"

_Wait a sec—they're related?_ I studied them both, but the few similarities I found were eclipsed by the differences.

"Lance, Lance, Lance," the Senator cooed. "It doesn't matter to me. Anyone who stands in my way is killed." He looked at me. "And _you_ just made the biggest mistake of your life!"

I felt it before I heard it. Something hit me in the back of the head, in the sweet spot, and knocked me out.


	11. Gods and Demons

Chapter Ten:

Gods and Demons

I woke up in the desert. I didn't remember exactly how I got there, but it soon came back to me. When I was knocked out, I was fading in and out of consciousness and felt my body being carried, and thrown into the sand. I groaned and spat some of the flying specks out of my mouth distastefully, then looked around. The Sphinx was nowhere to be found, and my throat was dry.

Instantly, I remembered. Lance, Kayce, Helen, Joanna, Dana and Violet were prisoners to Senator Kyle Grey, my father-in-law. I'd been brainwashed like Alec and Cole, but they were acting weird near the end. Did that mean that they somehow got free?

I got to my feet and covered my eyes as I started to walk. Whoever put me in the friggin' leather pants I was wearing now would definitely die!

My head hurt, and I quickly lost track of how long and how far I'd been walking. Everything looked the same! Even as a fire Conduit, the heat became too intense for me, and I eventually collapsed. When I came to, I was in a tent. The winds were blowing hard outside of it, but it kept the brunt of the sand out.

I forced myself to my feet and noticed that it wasn't so hard to move anymore. I was wearing loose-fitting green-and-gold pants that had a green sash around my waist and two other sashes that tied around each leg about halfway down my knee to my foot, with white bandages and brown sandals, and a faded red shirt that had its shoulders missing, and the sleeves were just barely hanging on by the rest of the shirt. Hey, at least it was better than leather, even if it didn't cover my damn belly-button…

"You have awakened."

I turned to the voice and saw an old Egyptian woman wearing a loose white dress. She carried in her hands a red and blue scarf that looked like it'd been sown together, and my nodachi.

"Good. You were sleeping for only a few hours, however. I imagine you are still very tired," she said, and then placed the scarf and my nodachi on her small table. "Please, sit." She gestured to a chair at the table. I couldn't find anything about this woman that was hostile, so I relaxed and sat across from her.

"Where am I?" I asked. "Who're you?"

"I am Ramla, and this is the desert of Egypt. And you are Joan Grey, formerly MacGrath." She smiled. "I have heard of you, young one."

I arched an eyebrow. "How…?"

"I would say that word gets around, but that would be lying. I… let's just say that I have seen you."

"Since you know my name, you must know what I'm looking for."

She nodded, everything about her aura… just _knowing_. "You are searching for your family." She pushed the scarf and my nodachi towards me. "I am sorry, but I can only take you so far. Once they entered the Sphinx, they headed further into the Underworld, where the god Anubis has safeguarded them in the darkness. This man… this _Senator_…he wishes to use the Gods to rule all."

"I know," I told her. "Like all bad guys." _Can't they aim for something smaller first? _"Only I helped him get here and capture others… like me."

"A person with special powers." Ramla touched my shoulder. I hadn't even noticed that she'd stood up, let alone come to stand beside me. "To make up for not being too helpful, I wish to part with the knowledge that was once entrusted to me."

I looked at her curiously. "What knowledge?"

"I know the many traps that you will face in the Underworld," she admitted, her eyes downcast. "The Gods designed it so only the worthy would speak with them. Once the Egyptian people rebelled against them, they could not be too careful."

"Really?"

Ramla nodded. "Once you enter the gates, there will be a single poisoned arrow shot at you. You will be so focused on the walls that you will not notice the tiny string that, when activated, will open a hole and suck you in."

"Already experienced that actually," I said.

She smiled. "Then you have done well." She sat across from me again and continued. "Passing through the next set of gates will trigger a fire trap. If you don't move fast, you will be burned alive, and the sands will take you. Next, there will be a chamber that pits you against your worst fear. You cannot escape it, and you must face it and learn to accept it. If you cannot, your very soul shall be stolen, but you will come out stronger for it. The last chamber before you arrive where the Gods are will test your morality, and what you would do in a certain situation. But be warned; the obvious answer is not always the right one."

I nodded, memorizing what she said. "And what about the chamber with the Gods?"

"I do not know," she answered honestly. "No one has ever gotten that far."

"That's reassuring." I stood up. "Thank-you. I'm sure your information will be invaluable."

The woman slowly got to her feet and motioned to the table. "Take these with you. The scarf will protect you from the sands, and I believe that the weapon belongs to you."

I picked up the scarf and tied it around my forehead. It made my hair stick out oddly at places I hadn't covered, but it was comfortable. I slid the nodachi onto my back and shook her hand.

"Thank-you again, Ramla," I said. "How can I ever repay you?"

"You need not," she assured me. "I know what it is to be a mother. I know what you are willing to face to get your family back."

I exited the tent and brought the remainder of the scarf around my face, leaving only my eyes uncovered, and walked on. It wasn't long before I saw the Sphinx, though I didn't understand how I could've been so near…

I entered the Sphinx and made my way to the open wall that lead to where I'd been knocked out. I ran through it and into the next gates. The fire I could handle easily; it didn't even burn my clothes! I momentarily wondered what Ramla had made me wear, and if she somehow knew that it'd burn if I used my powers.

_But I didn't tell her about them,_ I thought automatically. _Just who was that old woman?_


	12. The Disease of Madness

Chapter Eleven:

The Disease of Madness

_**Joan**_

I barged through the doors of the next gate and entered a dark chamber. The light from the fire behind me was the only thing that illuminated the dark room… Well, until the doors shut behind me.

My hand immediately shot up to my nodachi. I heard a sadistic giggle all around me, but I couldn't pinpoint where it was. Just what was my greatest fear?

But then I realized just what it was.

_**"Did you think you could get rid of me that easily, Joan?"**_

__My hand started shaking and my heart pounded violently. I activated my fire in the hand that wasn't grabbing hold of my nodachi and jumped back in shock. Kayce stood in front of me, that sadistic smile plastered to her face.

_**"I missed you so much," **_she said. _**"We have unfinished business, you and I."**_

__I clenched my fists. "You're dead. You're dead! You don't exist!"

_**"I exist as long as you do, Joan." **_She reached for the nodachi on her back. _**"But I can't believe how sentimental you are! Naming your child after me—what you could have been—for what? Were you upset that you killed me? Was it like losing a part of yourself?"**_

__"Kayce…" I muttered dryly. "I named my daughter after you because it's a feared name, even after these four years, like Kessler. I know that, one day, she'll make people forget about you, and when that name is said, it will be to praise my daughter."

Kayce laughed. _**"Age has made you foolish, not wise. I liked it better when you spoke after fighting."**_

__"Well then, let's fight!"

We both unleashed our nodachis, and began the fight.

_**Lance**_

__My hands were clenched tightly. Kayce was being held by Helen as she cried quietly. All of us had to go through the pitch-black chamber, and it seemed like we all faced our fears. Most of the Egyptian workers that went through with us didn't make it.

_Joan… _I thought. _Dammit! Please, be okay!_

My dad looked back and me and grinned. "We're almost there, son."

I clenched my fists tighter, to the point where I was actually drawing blood. "I don't even know you. Don't call me that!"

"Let's not do this, Lance," he said to me. "You're grown up now. Stop acting like a child."

"Look who's acting like a kid!" I snapped. "You're trying to take over the goddamn world! What the hell? Do you know how many people Joan, Cole and Alec have stopped who've wanted to take over the world?"

"They were nothing but idiots," my dad said. "I'm not. Plus, it doesn't matter. I know what is in the chamber with the Conduit Gods. It doesn't matter what anyone could do; I would win, because I have far more experience than anyone here." He smirked. "And your beloved wife won't be coming. I had my men drop her into the sandstorm outside. She wouldn't see her hand in front of her face, let alone get back here."

_But you don't know Joan,_ I thought as I unclenched my fists. _She's as stubborn as they get. And you knocked her out, you idiot. She probably remembers everything._

_**Joan**_

_** "Is that all you've got?"**_ Kayce screamed at me. _**"Pathetic! I wanted a battle! Not a warm-up!"**_

__I stabbed my nodachi into the ground and used it to keep myself standing. From a wound in my forehead, blood was pouring into my right eye, and there were several more wounds on my body.

Kayce, however, barely had a scratch on her. _**"Looks like the years have taken their toll, eh, Joan? This is what happens when you stop playing 'Hero'."**_

__I glared at her. "Don't even, Kayce! I don't wanna hear it! I know that I stopped, but it was for Kayce! Yeah, I admit after fighting you the first time, I could barely sleep for months because I kept wondering if you'd ever come back, and I wouldn't be lucky enough to survive. But…" I held my nodachi tighter. "But I came out better for it! I'm a mother, and I wouldn't have it any other way! I miss fighting, but I wouldn't trade being with Kayce for anything! And while I can still stand, I'll fight, and I won't ever give up! I never gave up against Sasha, Alden, Bertrand Jr., or you! And I'll be damned if I start now!" I attacked her swiftly, taking her off-guard. Kayce raised her nodachi and blocked, but I grabbed the blade with my hand and sliced across her chest. "I don't care how many times I have to fight you; I'll win, as long as I have Lance and Kayce that I need to protect!"

Kayce leapt back and touched the wound tentatively, the she snarled at me. _**"You'll pay for that!"**_

"Bring it on!"

We clashed again, our nodachis meeting in a shower of sparks, made both from our blades and our fire. I ducked as she sliced at my head, and slammed the hilt of my nodachi into her jaw. She backed-off, but I chased after her and attacked. Under pressure, it didn't seem to be in her favour.

I pushed her against the wall and punched her quickly, then elbowed her jaw. When she hit the floor and spat out blood I replaced my nodachi onto my back and faced her.

"I don't wanna be afraid anymore," I told her, "and I won't run away from this. If you wanna die again, get up."

She got up and rushed at me, her nodachi coming at me in a wide arc. I side-stepped and kicked her in the face, sending her flying into the wall.

"What I find weird is that you aren't using any powers. You always used them because I didn't have the same ones." I smiled. "That means you don't exist, right?"

_**"I don't know what you're on, but I'm solid, and I'm right in front of you!"**_

__I grabbed the nodachi as she attacked me with it. "I get it now. We're nearly in the Egyptian Underworld, so lots of strange things happen here. I think you're dead."

Kayce gritted her teeth. _**"Fuck you, Joan!"**_

"Language," I muttered, and punched her in the face.


	13. True Fear

Chapter Twelve:

True Fear

As soon as I dropped Kayce, she disappeared. I smiled and wiped some of the blood out of my eye, now that I had the time, and then held out my palm and set it on fire so I could see where the door was. If it weren't for my fire, I wouldn't see my hand in front of my face. Yet, as I searched, there was no door.

_The hell is this…?_ I wondered.

"Joan!"

I turned and saw Lance. "Lance!" I exclaimed, smiling. "How'd you get away from your dad? Wait…" I looked at him, and realized he just seemed a bit too bright. "Where's Kayce?"

"Kayce?" Lance repeated as he took a few steps toward me. "You killed her. Remember? You nearly died."

"Of course I remember! Where's our daughter?"

Lance arched an eyebrow, and then smiled and held me close. "You probably took a bad hit, Jo. We don't have a daughter."

My heart dropped. I pushed Lance off of me and held him at arm's length. "What're you talking about? We have a goddamn three-year-old! _Where's_ _Kayce_?"

I heard a sound behind me and turned. Before me was what seemed like an army of people dressed formally in black, but when I looked back at Lance, he wasn't there. My hands were gripping air.

I stepped back into the army of people and bumped into a few. My eyes were wild as I searched for a way out of the crowd. As I finally got out, I bumped into a wooden box and clutched it tightly to get my balance back.

"They say that it was her mother's fault," someone said behind me. "Poor kid. Her mother was too dangerous for her own good. You can barely recognize the body."

"I guess that's what happens when you can't control powers like those," another person said.

That's when I realized that I wasn't holding onto a box. It was an open casket.

And Kayce was inside.

My knees buckled and tears flowed out of my eyes. My heart all but stopped, and the next thing I knew I was running. I was running towards Kayce, who was running away from God knows what.

"_Kayce_!" I screamed.

She stopped and looked back at me. I tried to tell her to come to me, but the shadows chasing her caught her. I heard her terrified scream, and I tried to get to her faster, but I started falling into the tried to move. My heart was pounding in my chest uncontrollably, and my hands and legs were shaking.

I looked up and saw Lance hanging from the wall, a spear in his chest. Beside him was Kayce, pale, with dried blood all over her. I shut my eyes tightly and covered my head, defeat, sadness and exhaustion taking over.

"Once, your other self, Kayce, was your greatest fear," a voice said throughout the chamber. "Now it is losing those close to you. It has always been in the back of your mind, but you cannot escape it."

"Why're you showing me this?" I snapped. "I live with this fear every day, so why d'you have to show me this?"

Someone grasped my arm and lifted me to my feet. "You never knew defeat. You were a fighter, when you weren't a mother. Fear changes people. Don't let it change you. Remember that there is always a choice, and though you probably won't be there to save everyone, and you may lose much, you can always choose."

I wiped my eyes, and the person disappeared. So did the visions. Shaken but not deterred, I saw the exit and ran out into the next chamber. I found myself on the edge of a cliff, with a similar cliff nearly thirty yards away. I almost activated my powers to fly when someone grabbed my shoulder.

"Dana?" I muttered, confused.

"You can't use your powers here. If you do, then I'll never get over." She grabbed my arm. "We've got to get across together."

"How? There's no bridge…"

She smiled weakly. "It's a test of choice and faith."

I looked over the chasm and saw a bunch of people getting mugged. My first instinct was to start flying _fast_, but I had Dana with me…

"What d'you mean, 'never get over'?" I asked.

"Just what I say." Dana suddenly looked sad. "Please, Joan. We haven't really agreed in the past, but we can both change that."

_I have to help those people!_ My mind screamed. _But Dana… I can't leave her! If I get her across, she can help me with those guys, but it's gotta be fast!_

I grabbed her hand. "C'mon, Dana! Let's go. Together."

We quickly went across, practically floating through the air, but it felt solid underneath my feet. We reached the other side quick enough, and then Dana drew the guns she'd had when she worked for Moya Jones and started shooting the muggers in the hands and knees.

I brought up a fist and smashed it right into the jaw of one of the muggers, and suddenly the scene before me changed. It was a door; the door that led to where Lance, Kayce, Dana, Joanna, Helen, Violet, Alec and Cole were. I clenched a fist and touched the door gently, but instantly fell to my knees as a rush of energy whipped in and out of my body. I knew immediately that my powers were gone, and I had no doubt that Alec, Cole, Connor and his lackey's powers were gone as well.

"Fight as a normal person, huh?" I remarked. "No problem. I don't wanna burn the inscriptions on the walls anyway."

I put a hand on the wound on my head and wiped the rest of the blood off. No blood was going to get in my eye during this fight, or I'd be in serious trouble. Then I rolled my shoulders and took a deep breath. I was already terrified because of the visions, but I knew I could do this. I had to.

"Everyone…" I muttered as I started to open the doors. "I'm coming for you. I swear I'm gonna save you."


	14. Heroes and Villains

Chapter Thirteen:

Heroes and Villains

_**Lance**_

__"There's no way in hell you're gonna be able to open that door," I told my dad. "It's friggin' _huge_!"

He smiled at me. "This isn't opened by physical means. It's opened by sheer willpower, and an incantation. You have to really want something to open this thing. Plus, these so-called 'Gods' aren't dangerous to me. Ever since we passed through that door, all Conduit powers have been rendered null and void." He pointed to Cole's and Alec's unconscious bodies on the floor. "Those two challenged me, as I knew they would. They were nothing without their powers."

"They just forgot what it was to have none," I said. "If they'd had more time to adapt, they'd have kicked your ass!"

"Too bad that they didn't. They nearly killed Two, Three and Five. That's unforgivable. They're lucky I don't kill them now. With them out of the way, and you five currently imprisoned, there's no way you can stop me."

"That's really cliché, you know?" said a voice.

We all turned to see someone dressed in Egyptian clothing with a scarf covering their face, but that nodachi was unmistakeable.

"I mean, how many villains try to take over the world? How many do the whole, 'no one can stop me' speech, only to be proven wrong?" She pulled the bottom half of the scarf away from her face and smiled. "Not to brag, but I'm usually the one who does the 'proving wrong' part."

My dad took a step back. Clearly, that was one more flaw in his plan. I couldn't help but smile.

"Didja miss me?" Joan asked.

"What? But you were left in the desert!" my dad exclaimed. "How're you alive?"

"I had a little help," Joan told him. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got to stop you and save the day. As usual, I guess."

Suddenly, my dad smiled. "Wrong! Your powers don't exist in this place! You can't beat me!"

"So what?"

Confusion crossed the Senator's face, but Joan's remained serious. It wasn't the seriousness I'd seen in her face for the last three years, but the kind I'd seen before we were married.

_Joan's back,_ I thought. _She's back for good._

"I know I don't have my powers in here, and that's a damn pain in the ass. But you were there when I was growing up, Senator. You know that powers weren't the only thing that Kessler gave me." Joan put a hand on the hilt of the nodachi. "I guess he just knew that it was best not to totally rely on powers."

The Senator grabbed an Egyptian sword from the wall and held it in front of him. My dad was in the army, and had done God knows what while he was missing. I was sure he'd be a pretty even match for Joan. Experience versus stamina.

"I'm giving you this chance to surrender, Senator Grey," she said. "It's gonna be your only chance. If you refuse it, I can't promise you'll be alive by the end of this."

My dad started laughing. "Keep the chance! I won't give you the same courtesy!"

"Then I'm not gonna hold back against you."

_**Joan**_

__For a long time, the Senator and I just stared at each other. I could see Alec, Cole, Connor, Three and Five lying on the ground, but they were breathing.

The Senator suddenly shifted, and I took that as my cue. I ran at him and leaped high into the air, drawing my nodachi all the way and slamming it into his blade. As if caught off-guard by the sudden assault, the Senator was pushed back violently, right into the doors where the Egyptian Gods were supposed to be. He ducked as I slashed my nodachi at his neck, and he retaliated by attacking my legs. I used the doors and jumped over the blade, back-flipping over the Senator and rolling away. I came up just in time to block a slash to my side.

"You've definitely come far from trying to beat your teachers to escape," the Senator said as we held the lock. "Didn't you almost kill one?"

"No. I just knocked him out." I leaped back and spun around, bringing the blade around, but the Senator blocked it and we were caught in another lock. "And then I might've hit him in the head with a bat while he was unconscious, but that's not the point."

The Senator jumped back, but I moved forward at the same time. I slashed his chest and swung my nodachi around so the blood would come off.

"You're good," the Senator said, "but I've got the upper-hand!"

"How?" I asked.

The Senator pulled out from his suit a stick with a big red button on top of it. Common sense told me that the big red button was bad.

As soon as he pressed the button, the room was rocked insanely. I fell to the ground, along with a few other people in the room, but quickly got to my feet as I heard a cracking. And it wasn't the floor.

The Senator and everyone got to cover, but I was nowhere near any. I jumped back as a chunk of the roof gave out and smashed where I'd previously been standing. I started to dodge as many chunks as I could, and at one point I saw no exit.

"Aw, shit." I ran up a falling piece and flipped onto another. I jumped onto one more before I broke through another and free-fell towards the Senator. "Yo! You gotta do better than that!"

I kicked him in his wounded chest and sent him crashing into the door. I guess he saw that he was losing, so he started to say something, but I didn't understand what he was saying.

"Joan! Get back!" Lance yelled.

Well, I guess it's safe to say that I didn't get back in time. I was blasted backwards as the doors swung open, and I rolled a few metres before coming to a complete stop. The Senator was right beside me.

My eyes were blinded by a bright light that emanated from the doors. I got a migraine just from looking at it!

"You have to do dramatic entrances, don't you?" a man's voice said in an annoyed tone.

"What can I say? When you've been locked up for thousands of years, you need to impress!" a woman's voice replied.

"Isis, how about you tone down the lights?" the man's voice said. "You're burning their retinas."

"Says the self-proclaimed, 'God of the Sun'," the woman muttered.

"Oh, would you both just shut-up?" another man snapped. "Horus, Isis, you still insist on acting as children for all of these years?"

"Ma'at! I'm trying to finish an argument here!" Horus groaned.

"All of you, be silent," resonated a deep voice. "Or I will send your immortal asses to the Underworld!"

"We're already in the Underworld, Anubis! Plus, I don't think my husband Osiris would like me there all the time," Isis said.

"I would not," Osiris muttered.

I heard a groan. "Oh, for heaven's sake! Would you all calm down? We have guests!"

"I think Bast just wants to get out of here and see a cat…" Anubis muttered.

"I haven't seen a damn cat in thousands of years! Of course I do, but we have guests!"

"SHUT UP!" yelled a seventh person. "I'VE TOLERATED YOUR BICKERING FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AND I REFUSE TO GO THROUGH ANY MORE!" There was a tiny pause as the man regained his breath. "Now that I have your attention, I suggest that Isis and Horus dim the lights. Anubis and Osiris, shut your mouths and stop glaring at everyone. Bast… how about you just wait a bit longer? You'll get to see cats soon enough. I mean, it's not like you can conjure up one, considering we can't use our power here."

"No, really? You have once again proven why you are the God of Wisdom, Thoth," Horus said.

"Hey speaking of not being able to use powers, how come Horus and Isis are making this place brighter than the damn sun?" Anubis growled.

"Oh, sorry." There was a loud groaning sound, and then the light was turned off. A young-looking man in ancient Egyptian garb patted a gigantic machine and smiled. "I made this a few years back. Brilliant, isn't it? Because my blood contains power, even though I cannot use it, I used this machine to utilize it and create light!"

"Hard to believe that a God of War could be so fascinated by such a contraption," Thoth muttered.

I looked them over. Anubis was taller than Horus and had darker skin, and scarier features than anyone. Thoth looked like he could fit into a crowd these days, but his eyebrows were arched higher than I'd ever seen, probably because he was stuck with them for thousands of years and the expression of disdain just was stuck on his face. Isis was wearing a flowing white… _thing_ and could've probably been a supermodel. Bast was dressed in black, and did kinda look like she had lost a bit of her sanity. Ma'at was darker-skinned like Anubis, but he seemed much more approachable, and Osiris was just… well, to be honest, he looked like somebody the Italian Mafia would want to avoid. No wonder he was the God of the Underworld.

"Holy crap…" I muttered. "Not what I expected, I gotta say."

The Senator got to his feet and smiled. "Finally… Now that I've freed you, you're indebted to me!"

"You damn idiot!" I snapped as I jumped up. "Haven't you ever seen a movie? The bad guy never gets his way!"

"You should stop living in those fantasies!" the Senator spat.

"Oh, _I_ should stop? This _is_ real life! It _is_ a fantasy! We have friggin' _superpowers_, you damn idiot!"

"Hey, um… guys?" Lance said. "But… well, to put it simply, they're right beside you…"

I jumped backwards as I saw Isis staring at me sternly from about a foot away from me, but right into Anubis. The Senator started to back off, but Osiris grabbed his shoulder and forced him to stay put.

"Um… hi?" I offered quietly. Yeah, those people were like me, but you have to feel a tiny bit intimidated about their age.

"Sehkmet?" Bast came forward and flicked me in the head. I rubbed the spot angrily.

"Joan," I said. "My name's Joan, not Sehkmet."

"Hm… strange," Isis muttered. "Too bad. I guess the bitch really did bugger off." She suddenly caught sight of my mother. "Unless you're Sehkmet? If so, age seems to have caught up with you."

Oh God. My mother's face turned red instantly. "I'm not Sehkmet," she muttered angrily. "Make another comment about my age, God or not, and I'll beat you to death."

Not exactly the wisest thing to say, I know, but my mother seemed to get her message through. Isis backed-off.

"Okay, I know this is sudden and all, but I need to explain the situation to you guys," I said. The Conduit Gods looked at me and stared intently. "Right. So, this guy here wants to get a few Conduits like us on his side so that people will vote him up for Presidency. He's planning to brainwash the Conduits (which, for most, he already has), and since Conduits are the main guardians of the modern age, many of the normal people will probably vote for him too. Thing is, this guy's not a nice guy. He's a bad guy."

"That's not how it is!" The Senator waved his hands around furiously. "She… She wants to control you all for an army to take over the world!"

I facepalmed. "Really, on the spot, _that's_ the best you could come up with?" I shook my head. "I don't want anything to do with the world, except save it, as I usually seem to do. Besides, I'm an army all in myself!"

Ma'at and Thoth scratched their heads. "I am the God of Justice," Ma'at said, "so if one of you is lying, I shall deal it swiftly."

"And as the God of Wisdom, I will judge who is right." Thoth glared at us. "The favour of the Gods shall be bestowed upon whomever is worthy. Anubis already knows who it is. Are you willing to share?"

The God of Death shook his head. "I am not. It is by their own power that the one who is right will be shown the way." He glared at the remaining people working for the Senator. They released everyone and bolted from the chamber.

"Cowards!" the Senator screamed.

Lance was coming over to me, but I held up a hand to stop him. "I have to settle this before anything," I told him. "So please… just wait a little longer, okay? And don't let Kayce wake up from her sleep, no matter what." I gave him a smile, hoping to reassure him. If I knew Egypt, I knew that this was going to come down to one move.

"Then a one-strike duel," Horus proclaimed. "Whoever Anubis favours will most likely win, but the rest of the Gods must pitch-in as well. Anyone could die."

"What? No!" Lance handed Kayce to Joanna and came to me. "Hell no! I'm not letting you do anything like that again! Do you know how many times you've nearly died? I'm not going through that again!"

"Lance…" I sighed. "Look, I know that I'm a suicidal maniac—I get it. But this… if I don't do this, then the world's gonna be in danger, and the truth will be twisted. So, wait for me, okay?" I quickly kissed him and then hugged him as tightly as I could. "I can do this. I know it's nothing as epic as when I fought Kayce, and this time I might not have a daughter from the future come to save my ass, but it's something I can actually do now."

I could tell by the way that he tensed up that he didn't like it. "Isn't there another way?" he asked.

"Well, I can't exactly use magic to look into minds…" Isis said. "Sorry."

"And before you ask, I will not tell," Anubis told Lance. "I have my own code to go by. Life is not as simple as you wish it to be."

Lance held me tighter (to the point where I was gasping for air) and then released me. "If you don't come outta this alive, I'm going to destroy your collector's edition of _Star Wars_," he said.

I gasped. "You… You wouldn't!"

"Watch me." He grinned and pecked me on the forehead. "So you'd better come back."

"If I don't make it outta this, and you destroy my _Star Wars_, then I'll haunt you!" I snapped as he went back to Kayce.

The Gods moved away and gave the Senator and I some space. We glared at each other and moved back. I raised my nodachi and held it like I always did, but I found that my grip was even tighter than before.

"This is it," the Senator said as he raised the sword he grabbed from the wall. "No turning back now, Joan Grey."

I smirked. "Just for the record, you were a horrible father-in-law."

After a few seconds, we rushed at each other. My eyes widened as it looked like his blade was glowing an eerie light. _Are they showing him favour? Crap! But…_ I gritted my teeth. _I won't lose! I won't! Because I have to be there! I have to be there for everyone! Especially Lance and Kayce!_

The glow in his sword faded as we got closer. We roared our battle-cry and thrust our blades forward, with only one goal in mind:

Destroy your opponent.


	15. Turn of Events

Chapter Fourteen:

Turn of Events

There were no special tricks. There were no amazing moves, or anything like that. It was just a simple thrust, and that was the end of it. The Senator and I had passed each other, but I knew that one of us hadn't missed.

In fact, neither of us did.

The Senator's sword had torn through my abdomen, while my nodachi went straight through his heart. He stumbled for a moment before whispering something totally inaudible, and then died. His body hit the floor about a second afterwards.

I guess at the angle that my body was, nobody could see I was wounded. _This is bad…_ I thought. _My powers don't work here! I can't heal!_

I dropped my nodachi, finding no strength to carry it anymore. I felt hands on my shoulders and absently wondered who it could be.

And then I remembered that inscription.

The one when we were just going into the Sphinx, with two warriors, and seven people standing behind the first. It ended in the deaths of both.

_Please, don't let that be what's going on! _

"Joan?" Lance was right beside me. "You did it! You won!"

I found I couldn't say anything. I was losing blood, and it was only a matter of time before they realized that.

"Holy crap…" Cole's voice echoed through the chamber. "What I miss?"

"One hell of a party," was Dana's curt reply. I could imagine she went to Alec's side. "You guys okay?"

"Yep," Alec said. "My pride went down a ton, since I got my ass handed to me by an old man…"

"They're still unconscious," Cole said. "C'mon. We should get outta here. Alec, help me out with these guys."

"I will help," Osiris offered. "There are three. It will be easier with three to carry them."

I felt arms wrap around me and pick me up. I knew it was Lance, and I knew that he'd seen the wound. I was looking right at him, so why couldn't I hear his voice? Why couldn't I hear anyone anymore?

The room started shaking violently, most likely an aftershock of the bombs that the Senator had planted. The next thing I knew, I was moving _fast_. Through the door. I expected myself to feel better as soon as we got through, but I wasn't. If anything, I was getting worse. My vision was fading in and out, and it was getting harder to breathe.

_No, dammit! I have to keep breathing! I have to! Don't give up! Just wait a while longer!_

I felt a pull in my abdomen, but it wasn't a, "Yes! I'm getting healed!" kind of pull. It was more like a, "What the hell? This friggin' hurts!" kind of pull. Those weren't the good pulls.

I screamed in pain and held my abdomen. I felt like I was losing more blood, which was not the best thing I could feel at the time.

"What the hell's happening?" I heard Lance's voice, which made it comforting and painful at the same time. "She's not healing!"

"What kind of a weapon was the Senator using?" Cole demanded.

"It was a bronzed quicksilver blade," Horus explained. "During our time, the people who believed us to be Gods created those weapons in secret. Sehkmet's weakness was quicksilver, but she managed to escape from the people who imprisoned us. She needed the book they used to free us, and so told us that she was going after it. We didn't hear of her afterwards."

"_Quicksilver_? That's Joan's weakness too!"

I grabbed the collar of Lance's shirt. "I'll… be fine! Just… keep running!"

Lance held me tighter and continued running with everyone. We barely escaped the collapsing chambers and made it into the Sphinx, where the falling debris stopped. Lance placed me against the wall and quickly got his mother to look me over.

"If we can get to a hospital within the hour, then she'll be fine," Helen concluded. I couldn't imagine what she was going through, with her supposedly dead husband actually dead now. He barely even looked at her during the time she was captured, like she didn't exist. "Joan, hold out until then!"

I nodded and painfully tried to stand. Lance grabbed me and picked me up. I guessed that he really didn't want me to over-exert myself.

"I promised I'd wait for you," he said. "Now promise _me_ that you're going to live."

I smiled and chuckled. "Promise…"

"I swear, I'm never watching _The Mummy_ after this shit," Lance muttered. "Not even the third one."

The time passed quickly, but we miraculously made it to a hospital in the nick of time. I could hear lots of people whispering about our new, strange companions, and I heard the latter chattering excitedly about the things that we thought were so simple (cars, vending machines, streetlamps, etc.).

I was in the ER immediately. Helen herself led the surgery to get the quicksilver out of my system, since I wouldn't trust anyone else with it. It was a long hour before it was all out, and even then I had to have bandages wrapped around the wound.

When Lance came to visit me with Kayce, he also brought our new friends. It was entertaining, to say the least, and I was already feeling better.

"So, _you_ dressed them in modern clothing?" I asked Lance.

"I bought it," Lance explained. "They picked out what they wanted. I thought they'd like to fit-in a bit more."

I laughed. They all looked like I would've pictured, from supermodel to biker-dude.

"We just wanted to let you know that we will be searching for the ones who escaped the Humans," Anubis said. "It is time we all came to know this modern world."

I nodded. "That'd be best. But don't use your powers in public unless something bad's happening. People still aren't really used to Conduits these days."

They all nodded, and we parted on that note. Kayce was constantly attached to me, and would rarely leave my side. When I got out of the hospital, we all took the Senator's private jet; the one we came in on. That way we wouldn't have to explain why we didn't have passports.

Our home was already rebuilt by the time we got there. Apparently, some weird-looking guys had done it, and I could only conclude that it was our Egyptian friends. I had to remember to thank them when I saw them again, though I wasn't so sure how they knew where we lived.

Connor, Three and Five (or Taylor and Levi, respectively) were back to normal. Now, they had to get used to being Conduits. I gave them a quick tutorial, but the rest they'd have to figure out for themselves.

Within a few weeks, everything was back to normal. (By the way, Dana had picked up my nodachi. I almost lost that thing, but was glad I didn't.) And yes, normal also meant that I'd gotten a job where I could safely use my powers.


	16. Epilogue

Chapter Fifteen:

Epilogue

_**Eleven Years Later…**_

__As usual, for every year that we start a school year, my classmates stood up and said what occupation their parents had. It seemed that, even in the tenth grade, elementary traditions like these never really died out. I already knew what jobs my friends' parents had. Joel's mom was a paediatrician, Danny's mom was a Senator, and Lisa's dad was a judge.

And then it was my turn. I stood up in front of the class like everyone else, despite how stupid and childish I thought it was. To be honest, I sometimes didn't know how my parents ever found each other, since their jobs were so different, and I couldn't really remember a time that they weren't doing them. Still, they were there for me.

"My name's Kayce Grey," I said. "My dad's a musician and a record producer, and my mom's a firefighter."

I went back to my seat and let the boredom continue. My mom had tons of medals from the city of New Marias to commemorate her bravery. I mostly thought it was stupid. She ran into burning buildings when everyone had been ordered out, and got whoever was inside, regardless of the heat.

_She's gonna get killed that way,_ I thought with a frown. Still, she never paid attention to the medals. When she was done work, she'd come home, cook supper, and we'd talk about all sorts of things. We never ran out of things to talk about, really. A favourite topic of mine was Egypt.

Dad was almost always home, unless he was helping a struggling artist or making songs of his own. We were pretty close, but not as close as mom and I. I think he got that mother/daughter bond that we had, but I still had my father/daughter bond with him. Proof of that was the fact that I couldn't bring a male friend over without my dad interrogating him. No one really came over to my place anymore.

When everyone'd finished telling that useless bit about themselves, we watched a bit of history. Mostly about Empire City. We watched a few video clips that people'd put together several years ago. There were a few clips of Cole running around healing people, fighting off Reapers, Dust Men and the First Sons. It didn't matter how old I got; Lucy and Cole MacGrath were still my heroes.

There was another video clip with a voice over. As a newswoman reported about the appearance of strange people appearing all over Empire City who had superpowers, there was this video clip that had a teenager with red hair leaping off of a building. She landed on top of one of the Reapers who were rounding people up, and then her hands suddenly sprouted flames, like a flamethrower and toasted the Reapers. Then she threw up a shield of fire to block the bullets coming in at her, and precisely shot a Reaper in the face, who was holding the cameraman. She disappeared as soon as she came.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were on T.V.," Danny whispered to me.

I shook my head. "Empire City's still being rebuilt. There's no way I could be there, either!"

"Just joking, Kayce," he said. "She looked way more angry than you do."

I've been known for my natural frown. It's my normal face, but everyone thinks I'm always _displeased_ or something. It's gotten me into a bit of trouble, but I'm not exactly one to run around pretending there are rainbows and butterflies everywhere.

Around lunch, the fire alarm went off. As we'd been taught since elementary, we quickly started to file from the building.

"I didn't know there was a drill today," I said to Lisa.

She shrugged. "Probably just trying to catch us off-guard."

Joel came up behind us. While Danny and Lisa were more my height, this guy was a damn _monster_ when it came to height. I was envious, to say the least, despite the fact that I was about 5"6'.

"The science lab's on fire!" he whispered quickly to us. "Some kid got carried away in chem. 20. Friggin' idiot!"

I swore harshly. Chemistry 10 was my next class, and in that very lab! I liked it because it was easy enough to get through.

Some ninth-graders were ahead of us, taking their sweet, sweet time to get out the doors. We rolled our eyes and tried to push through, but they weren't taking the warning seriously.

I heard cracking above us. I think I was the only one who did. Joel started pushing through the younger kids and telling them to get moving, when I realized that the fire'd already spread.

The roof started falling. Kids were screaming and trying to push out the door. Joel was swept out by the crowd, roaring at us to move. I looked up and saw a gigantic beam on fire start falling towards us. The screams increased as it free-fell towards us all. Lisa tripped beside me, and no one was helping her get up. Everyone'd passed us already, and now it was just Lisa, me, and a beam on fire.

We were terrified. I was paralysed, unable to move. Lisa screamed and covered her head. As if it was instinct or stupidity (because I don't know, myself), I raised my hands in the air and stopped the beam above my head. The flames burned my skin, but I held it up nonetheless.

"Go!" I ordered Lisa.

I think she was too scared to deny that request. She got to her feet and sprinted to the exit, passing a man who was coming in. He kicked me hard in the chest, and I dropped the beam. He stepped over the beam and the flames, as if it didn't bother him. A woman behind him totally avoided the flames. Holy God, they looked like they belonged in a circus!

"Joan MacGrath," the man said, "it's been a long time."

I held my chest, which felt like it was going to explode. "Who… are you?"

"You don't recognize me?" The man took his hat off, which matched with his trenchcoat. He was a really, really old man, with a hooked nose and dangerous eyes. "Well, it has been some time."

"How would I recognize you if I've never met you?" I snapped as I got up. "My name's not Joan MacGrath! It's Kayce Grey!"

The woman came towards me, her hood covering most of her face, but her skin was a sickly colour. "Oh, please, Joan. I know it's you! Age has been good to you!"

The man grabbed my head and slammed it against the wall. My hands were stinging from the fire, and were practically useless now.

"My name's Alden. She's Sasha. You nearly killed both of us."

I spat out some blood. "The leaders of the Reapers and the Dust Men…" I managed to clench my fists. "Cole kicked your ass! I don't know who 'Joan' is, but I'm not her! Shouldn't you be dead? The Beast wiped-out Empire City!"

"And we escaped by way of water," Sasha said. "Took us a while to find you, though."

I slammed my fist into his face, and he flew over the beam and out the door. I _knew_ that I could never punch that well before, so what happened?

Sasha leaped at me. I dodged and sprinted up the stairs, towards the chemistry lab. The two were in hot pursuit (no pun intended). Alden raised his hand, and a bit of the floor gave out. I leaped as far as I could and just barely made it across. Sasha screeched as some of the fires got too close for comfort to her. In the distance, I heard the sirens of the fire trucks.

_Mom!_ I thought excitedly. _No, wait… What could she do? These're… These're people from Empire City, who went through all sorts of shit there! Mom's just a firefighter!_

I was trapped in a classroom, which was a little too close to the chemistry lab. I was cornered, and my heart was pounding wildly.

Alden put his jaw back in place. "Nice punch," he said. "But it's the end of the line now."

"Why don't you just use your powers?" Sasha asked. "It'd be so much more fun to kill you at your strongest!"

"I don't have any powers!" I yelled.

Alden shook his head. "Fine. Then I'll rip you apart, limb by limb!"

I covered my head, unable to watch them come ever closer to me. Suddenly, a window shattered, and someone landed in front of me. It was my mom, and she hadn't even changed into her uniform. On that note, how'd she get up to the second story without a ladder?

"I thought I smelt crazy bitch," my mom said, smirking at Sasha. "Though I prefer them well-done, myself."

"What the—?" Alden and Sasha took a deliberate step back. "Joan MacGrath?"

"Joan Grey, actually," mom corrected. "I'm married now. Do you mind explaining why you've cornered my daughter? I'm not exactly in the best mood today, so choose your words wisely."

They didn't even speak. Sasha attacked my mom, viscously latching onto her shoulders and drawing blood. I screamed for my mom, but I didn't know what to do. What _could_ I do?

"Don't think I forgot how to fight you, bitch!" mom seethed.

I saw Sasha's face suddenly become terrified, and before she could let go of my mom, the latter put her hand on Sasha's face. Sasha erupted into flames, and mom threw her into the fire. She screamed a while longer before it turned into nothing.

"I'm sorry about the last time I fought you, Alden," mom said, as if the death she just caused didn't phase her. "I wasn't exactly myself. Back then, I had a…" She looked at me. "I had a dormant split-personality. It won't get in the way this time!"

Alden laughed. "It's been years, MacGrath! Cole isn't coming to save you this time!"

"No?" Mom looked around. "Hm. Whatever shall I do?"

Alden used an invisible force to raise a beam and throw it at mom. She grabbed it out of the air and held onto it tightly, as if the flames didn't so much as tickle her. Alden tossed dozens more, but mom batted them away from us with the beam that had first been tossed, and then smashed Alden's head in with it. The old man fell to the ground, but I couldn't tell if he was unconscious or dead.

Mom dropped the beam and quickly came over to me. Unlike me, her hands weren't burnt at all.

"C'mon, Kayce," she said. "Get on my back. I'll get you outta here."

I listened obediently and climbed onto her back. Mom perched on the window she'd just broken and leaped out. I screamed as we free-fell down. Mom let me go as we went above a giant trampoline, and I landed safely on top of it, much to the firefighter's surprise. Mom didn't hit the trampoline, but rolled on the ground and came up safe, as if such a thing was natural.

As I got off of the trampoline and was taken to an ambulance, my mom came to make sure I was okay.

All I could say was, "W-What the hell?"

Mom smiled her natural smile. "When you get home today, I'll tell you everything. It's about time you left these kinds of schools, anyway." She kissed my forehead. "I'm proud of you, Kayce. You did great today."

I could already tell that my life was about to take an interesting turn.


	17. Author's Notes

Author's Notes:

So, that is officially my last story involving Joan! Seriously, if I do another one, I'll start stealing the ideas I've been making for other ones.

I've been conflicted as to what I could write next, since we still have to wait a good month and two days for _Skyrim_, and a month and six days for _Assassin's Creed: Revelations_ (where I would continue on Suna's story). I'm super-pumped and excited!

Anyway, as to what I was saying before, I'm conflicted. There's a poll on my profile giving three choices as to what I should write next. _Bleach: Stolen Souls_; _Pirates of the Caribbean: Hell's Gate_; or _The Chronicles of Narnia: Last of the Bloodline_. I hope that, by the time I've finished writing one of those three, I will be able to start on another _Assassin's Creed_ instalment. Please vote, as I'll be closing it on Friday, October 14th, 2011.

I've been working to involve many other cultures into my writing, and so Egypt came through in this one. Don't be surprised if I take you someplace totally random, either!

I've been getting a few messages that say I'm not descriptive enough. Well, for those people, I say, "Big deal!" My theory on writing is that if the author has to describe every little thing in a damn room, then they aren't letting the readers use their imagination. For example: if I say it's a living room, then the reader will automatically think of a welcoming room, most likely that looks a ton like their own living room, or something they've seen on a T.V. show. I only describe the important stuff! (So keep that in mind, if I ever write about a mystery or whatnot.)

Guys, I appreciate your reviews and you comments! I take each one to heart so I can improve and become an author as well-known as Steven King one day (though probably not as gory). My first generic story, _Zanthia_, is currently being turned into an online manga, and my illustrator and I want it to get published soon. If you're interested in reading it, please go to .com/ and comment to tell me what you think! The illustrator and I love when people comment! (I haven't posted the novel version yet, because I haven't finished, but I hope you won't be disappointed!)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed my fifth instalment of the _inFAMOUS_ series, and I hope you'll come back for more crazy action and awkwardness!


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